


Legends of Mermaids

by RaphaelHeartrose



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Mermaid AU, Bottom Eren Yeager, Eventual Levi/Eren Yeager, M/M, Multi, Rating May Change, Taller Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), levi x eren - Freeform, riren - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2779253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaphaelHeartrose/pseuds/RaphaelHeartrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Levi was eight, he was save by a young merman boy. Now ten years  he can't exactly remember how the boy looked like. The only thing he remembers are the Caribbean colored eyes. </p><p>Eren Jeager, when he was six, saved a human child from drowning, but the child was still in a critical condition, so the only thing he could do was give him one of his scales. Merman scales are said to be very powerful in healing people. That's one of the reason why mermaid hides from humans.<br/>Now that Eren is sixteen he could go and live in the surface world, hoping to see his first love again. But it doesn't always go as one wants it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is base on Mermaid Melody, and I have had this one in my head for a time and wanted to write at least the prologue =)
> 
> Hope you enjoy~

                **Prologue**

It was a starry night that day. Levi was on a ship with his parents, they were musicians and went on many tours around the world. And they always took Levi with them. Levi loved his parents, but even he had had enough of the party aboard the cruising ship. So he went up to the deck and leaned on the railing, looking up at the full moon, which were shining brightly that night.

 

Something green glimmered in Levi’s peripheral vision, he turned quickly to the direction where he saw it. But didn’t find anything. He knew he could see it again because the ship was anchored right now so it would be possible to see it again. He walked farther back to the stern. He could hear humming now, but it sounded like it came from the ocean.

 

_’The rainbow wind blows at a far off coast._

_Before dawn, there was a melody I heard._

_It was a very nostalgic song._

_The birds that fly towards the eastern sky_

_Now escape to the treasure island using this shortcut,_

_Where the paradise of the seven seas lies.’_

 

Levi could hear it clearer now, it was a song, a very beautiful song. But he couldn’t yet see the one who was singing it.

 

 _’_ _After the stormy night, to tell you my love I will be born again._

_Even if there comes a day where everyone_

_Is to journey away from here, as long as we sing the melody of the seven countries,_

_I'll never forget’_

 

He arrived at the back of the ship and he now he knew the song was sung by someone young, based on how high and light the voice was. He ran to the railing. And there he saw it! The green that he saw earlier. He stared, awed by the scene before him.

 

_’Clouds slowly float away, vanishing away as they aim for the rainbow's end._

_And then the stars, like pearls_

_Can start releasing a powerful, wondrous light._

_From the southern sky, a whistling sound could be heard._

_Yes, this is the time that's finally come, the time for me to become an adult.’_

 

Levi saw a green tail, attached to the upper part of a human body. The tail was a beautiful green and was shining brightly. The moon was shedding light on the person, who was sitting on a big stone in the middle of the ocean. Levi saw it was a young boy, probably a few years younger than him, with wild, chestnut brown hair. The light gave the boy an even more ethereal look than he already had. He couldn’t see the boy’s eyecolor because the eyes were closed. The boy seemed so into his singing that he didn’t realize that he had now an audience.

_’While embracing the kind mother's wishes in her heart_

_She wished that everyone would journey on a miracle-filled adventure._

_With over flowing tears and prayers, I just don't know anymore.’_

_The merman boy slowly opened his eyes and Levi caught a glimpse of the eyecolor_

_but he couldn’t deem the color yet._

_’But their still remains a fantasy of a night where stars fall_

_For the shining future_

_To the paradise of the seven seas!’_

The young mermaid boy had now fully opened his eyes, bu the didn’t see Levi yet. Levi was mesmerised by the merman’s eyecolor. They were a mix with blue and green colors, clear like those Caribbean seas, with a hint of gold mixed in too. The boy’s eyes clearly showed his happiness and a gentle warmth. Levi leaned on the railing again, continuing listening to the soothing voice and watching the young merman boy.

_’After the stormy night, to tell you my love I will be born again._

_Even if there comes a day where everyone_

_Is to journey away from here, as long as we sing the melody of the seven countries,_

_I'll never forget_

_While embracing the kind mother's wishes in her heart_

_She wished that everyone would journey on a miracle-filled adventure._

_With over flowing tears and prayers, I just don't know anymore._

_But their still remains a fantasy of a night where stars fall_

_For the shinпng future’_

When the boy finished singing, did he finally see Levi at the railing, watching him. The boy readied himself to dive back to the water but was stopped by a voice.

 

”Please! Don’t disappear yet! I didn’t mean to scare you! I just saw your tail and heard you singing and thought how beautiful it was!”

 

The boy gave Levi a glance. The human didn’t seem to be lying. The merman boy dived into the sea. Levi made a disappointed face when the boy disappeared and was going to turn around when he heard a splash nearer to him. He looked over the railing, down to the water and saw big Caribbean eyes staring at him in wonder.

 

”Will you tell other humans about me?” the boy asked shyly, not used to interact with a human. Levi didn’t hesitate when he answered, he knew that no one – but maybe his parents – would believe him, if he said he saw a merman.

 

”No. I won’t tell anyone. It will be our secret”, Levi said as he placed his index finger on his lips and made a ’shhh’ sound and smiled. The boy was charmed by the human child’s smile and blushed, shyly averting his eyes back and forth, much to Levi’s amusement.

 

’He really is cute’, Levi thought as he stared at the boy.

 

”Hey! Can you sing again?” Levi asked the boy, who nodded as an answer. And soon Levi’s ears were filled with the boy’s soothing singing voice again. Levi enjoyed

listening to the boy’s singing, it kind of filled him with warmth and he felt safe. This continued for a long time, until Levi noticed that the boy seemed to be nodding off but still continued singing. Then Levi realized he didn’t know the boy’s name. Because, he had to have a name, right? The boy stopped singing, finally too tired to sing anymore.

 

”What’s your name? I am Levi, Levi Ackerman.”

 

The boy was about to answer but a loud sound made him stop, as his eyes widened. Levi turned around and saw it. A huge tsunami was over the ship and the last thing he remembers after that, is that he fell into the water and saw the boys eyes right before him, and warm arms wrapped around him. Then everything went black.

 

 

When Levi came to, he was on the beach of his hometown. He looked around to see who saved him, but couldn’t see anyone. He saw something glimmer on his chest, he carefully reached his hand to the shining object and observed it thoroughly. It was a scale in a beautiful green color. When Levi saw it, he immediately remembered everything, the merman boy and the tsunami, the Caribbean colored eyes and warm arms. Levi came to the conclusion that the boy must have saved him. He was thankful for that, and put the scale in his pocket where it would be safe till he came home, and then he could make it into a necklace. Levi wondered what he would do now. He was probably the only survivor of the ship. Which meant that he would never hear his parent play or sing for him anymore. Tears slowly fell down his cheeks as he watched the sunrise, ending the night of a wonderful encounter and starting the beginning of a new life.

 

But little did he know that two big eyes had been watching him, hiding behind a big stone in the sea near the beach. The boy wished that he could comfort his human friend, but it was too risky in broad daylight. So he did the only thing he could do, he sang.

 

Levi heard his merman friend’s singing voice and whipped his head around, trying to locate the boy, but couldn’t see him anywhere. He turned to see the sunrise again, letting his new friend’s voice soothe his hurting heart.


	2. Chapter 01 - Beautiful Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously love Google Drive and Docs  
> I got this chapter most of on my phone and then on the computer.  
> And I will ask this before... will you guys still like this fic IF I add male lactation?
> 
> And thanks for all the kudos and comments <3

# Chapter 1: Beautiful Wish

  


Today was a big day for Eren. Today was his sixteenth birthday, which meant he could finally go to the surface world and live amongst the humans. He hoped he could see the human child he saved nine years ago, Levi was his name. Eren's first love.

 

In the merman world it wasn't particularly strange that two of the same gender were together. As long as you didn't have to continue the bloodline. In Eren's case, so was he the second born prince from his father's second marriage, and it was his older sister, the first born child from their father's first marriage, who will inherit the crown of their kingdom, Shiganshina.

 

Eren would be living with his uncle, Hannes, at a Bed & Breakfast Inn, helping out and go to school from there. Eren had longed for this day since he was young. Because now he could finally see Levi again. He hoped that Levi would recognize him. His sister, Mikasa, had assured him that it wouldn't happen because — no matter how much depressing thought that is to Eren — he hasn't changed that much since he was younger.

 

Mikasa just thought that Eren had gotten cuter and more beautiful since he was little. With his natural tan skin and lean body physique; not too muscular but not too skinny, and pink plump lips and his naturally wild chestnut colored hair. But his most beautiful feature was his big green-blue eyes with a hint of gold sometimes, it was like they never were the same color and changed all the time.

 

"Eren... do you have to go? Can't you just stay here?" Mikasa asked her little brother.

 

"Mika, you now how much I have waited for this day. I want to go to the surface world and try to live amongst the humans."

 

"Eren, what you want to do is meeting that 'Levi' again, right?"

 

Eren blushed at how his sister could always see right through him. But it was true, one of the biggest reasons why he wants to go to the surface was because he wants to meet Levi again. But Eren also wants to see how the humans on the surface world lives like. Thanks to meeting Levi all those years ago, he was now interested and curious about humans lifestyles.

 

"A-anyway I am gonna go now!" Eren said and started to swim to the surface with his penguin and best friend, Armin.

 

Armin was a hippocampus, but he had three forms, one his penguin form; he was yellow and wore a sailor uniform, the second one was his human form; Armin was a little shorter than Eren in that form, and he had big blue eyes and blond hair which was cut in a bowl like form, Armin's third form was his hippocampus form; which was like a big seahorse. He was also very intelligent.

 

"Are you sure about this, Eren?" Armin asked anxiously.

 

"Yes, yes I am sure Armin." Eren said with a finality in his voice. Armin gave him a light answer.

 

"Okay."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren had separated from Armin when they neared the surface. Armin swam to Hannes' place to inform the older man about their arrival. As Eren went to the place he last saw Levi. Luckily it was still early in the morning, so there wouldn't be many humans up at this time, so Eren could transform to his human form; the only difference about his human and merman form, was that his human form had legs. Otherwise he looked the same.

 

When he got to the stone, he heaved himself up, the sun would dry his fin. Eren watched the sunrise as he felt his fin change to human legs.

 

_'It feels like that day, but this time I'm alone.'_

 

Unbeknownst to Eren, so was a pair of blue calculating eyes watching him. As the unknown stranger stared at the beautiful merman bathed in sunlight, slowly transforming into a human. And mused as they walked away:

 

_'Is this the merman "he" was talking about.'_

 

Eren saw his legs, fully human like, and took the bag that Hannes had hidden his clothes in before his (Eren's) arrival. He saw that Hannes had picked out white skinny jeans, and a green long sleeved shirt with some strings, and some underwear. Eren couldn't understand how humans can wear those — he preferred to go commando but he had promised Hannes that he wouldn't — but he relented and put them on before his jeans and shirt. And climbed down the stone.

 

Eren walked around the beach, enjoying the sea breeze ruffling his hair, feeling the sand between his toes and the salty seawater fill his nostrils, and huge waves splashing on the shore.

 

It was then he saw it. At first he could only differ something black amongst the waves, later he saw it was a person on a surfboard, a guy, wearing a surfers wetsuit, which was black and short sleeved and it ended before his knees, the shoulders were blue colored but only the upper part of the sleeves were blue. The guy was fit, really fit and tall and the wetsuit just signified it more. Eren could even see his muscles from here and he was standing on the beach! The guy's hair was black and drenched wet with saltwater and slicked back, but Eren could see that he had an undercut under those long hair.

 

 _'He kind of looks like Levi'_ , he mused.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren hadn't realized it yet, but as soon as the wave the guy had rode on ceased, he had seen Eren on the beach. The guy thought he had seen the brunet boy before but couldn't put his finger on it. That was until the wind blew and took the brown bangs out of the boy's face. The surfer thought he was imaging things, when he saw two big orbs of of a blue-green color. He got a nostalgic feeling when he saw them but shook his head.

 

_'It's impossible, he couldn't be "him", there's no way!'_

 

But he was curious, he started for the beach on his board. Nearing the beach and the boy, the surfer got the feeling that the boy was "him" got stronger. When the fin almost touched the ground the surfer hopped in the water, it only was to his knees and he started to go to where the boy was. The surfer saw the boy still had his head in the clouds and hadn't sensed the surfer nearing him. When he was standing in front of the boy, he realized that the boy was at least ten centimeters shorter — he was 182 centimeters, thank you. The boy had a tan and smooth skin, hazelnut colored and soft looking hair. And eyes like "him".

 

"Oi."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren snapped out of his musings as soon as he heard that deep, smooth and velvety voice. As he turned his head at the direction of the voice — which was in front of him — his eyes met a chiseled chest, ripped with muscles. He blushed at the close proximity and instinctively took a step backwards. He saw the surfer's face and held his breath, the surfer was on the border of being a man, Eren concluded that the surfer was between eighteen and twenty, he had a strong jaw, a small nose, raven hair, sharp features, thin eyebrows, and hooded silver-blue eyes. One thought ran through Eren's head when he saw those silver-blue eyes and a special face.

 

_'Levi.'_

 

"Eren!!" A familiar voice rang through the thick tension and Eren turned around, his face lighting up at the familiar face of his uncle.

 

Hannes held his arms open as he ran to Eren, who in return also ran for his uncle and leaped in the familiar embrace of his uncle's arms around him.

 

"Eren! My boy, what you have grown! The last time I saw you, you were so small that you only reached my waist!"

 

"Hahaha! Uncle Hannes! That was when I was seven-year-old! It was nine years ago!" Eren laughed and gave his uncle a big smile. It was then Hannes saw the other person on the beach, a familiar face for the old man.

 

"Levi! Long time no see mate! How is the surfing going? Has there been any good waves lately?" Hannes asked and felt his nephew stiffen in his arms as soon as he mentioned Levi's name, but thought that he would ask Eren later about it.

 

"Long time now see, Hannes-san", Levi answered. He was a little annoyed that "Eren" had dissed him, but when he saw that smiling face, Levi decided that he didn't care.

 

"The surfing is going fine and the waves have been too calm lately, but today they were much better. By the way, who's that?"

 

Hannes smiled when he got to introduce his young nephew.

 

"Levi, this is Eren, my brother's youngest child, in other words my nephew. Eren this is Levi Ackerman, a surfer I have known for a long time."

 

Eren took a peek at Levi from his uncle's arms and gave a shy, "Hi, I'm Eren Jeager", to Levi, before he buried his face in his uncle's chest again. Both Levi and Hannes thought it was cute how shy he was.

 

"Sorry, Eren is shy around people he doesn't know", Hannes apologized to Levi.

 

"Ah, I don't mind, or rather I can understand that he is like that. But... I didn't know that you had a brother or a nephew", Levi drawled as he eyed Eren, who was slightly peeking at him again, eyes filled with curiosity.

 

"I have a niece too, she is Eren's older sister, her name is Mikasa. And I don't really think I have had the chance to tell you yet", Hannes explained.

 

"I see", Levi answered, letting the new information sink in. He was sure that Hannes was a human, because when he touches water he doesn't get a fin like a merman. But he wasn't so sure about Eren.

 

Levi still had his doubts that Eren was “him” but the probability was too high, they looked too much alike, the only difference was that Eren was older but it had been ten years. Surely "he" was as old as Eren and that would mean that they would look the same, like doppelgängers. But that probability was more unlikely than that they are the same person.

 

"Hey, Jeager", Levi started, looking straight into Eren's eyes. Eren answered shyly:

 

"Yes?"

 

"Where are you from?"

 

"I-I am from an island in the Shiganshina ocean, but my father's ancestors were German, and my mother is Turkish, which is why I'm naturally tan."

 

Was Eren's flawless answer because it was partially true. His mother came from a merman kingdom in Turkey, and his father’s family's ancestors were immigrants from a German kingdom. They had built the Shiganshina kingdom from scratch and it had flourished to one of the most treasured kingdoms of the merpeople. And it was built deep under an island. So deep that humans couldn't or wouldn't find it. Only other merpeople could find it, it was a really safely situated kingdom.

 

Levi didn't detect any lie in Eren's answer. But he knew Eren hid something. And he would figure it out. He nodded at Eren's words, before he saw a familiar strawberry blonde walk towards them.

 

"Levi!" The girl greeted and ran to hug him. Levi hugged her back and gave her a peck on the lips, for a brief moment he thought that Eren looked hurt but hid too quickly in his uncle's arms again for Levi to know. Levi greeted his girlfriend.

 

"Hey Petra. Why are you up so early in the morning?"

 

"I knew that you would be here early today, so I made you some breakfast", she smiled and took out a small basket filled with different sorts of sandwiches. It was later she noticed Hannes and the boy in his arms.

 

"Good morning Hannes-san!"

 

"Good morning to you too Petra", Hannes greeted and noticed her curiously stare at Eren.

 

"This cutie here in my arms is my nephew, Eren Jeager. He lived on a island before, where everyone knew each other, so he is a little shy around strangers. He arrived today to move in with me, because he will start going to your school, Survey Corps right? He is going to be sixteen this year so he is going to start on his freshman year."

 

Eren mumbled something in his uncle's shirt, something like he was sixteen and not fifteen. It was then Hannes remembered what day it was.

 

"Oh! How could I forget?! I'm sorry Eren... I was looking so forward for your arrival that I forgot what day it was... And it is the 30th March..." Hannes said, his voice full of remorse.

 

"It is okay Uncle Hannes", Eren tried to soothe his uncle and smiled as he looked up at his uncle's face, "As a present you can listen to me singing, that will be enough."

 

Levi and Petra looked curiously at the scene, wondering what Hannes had forgotten. And what was so special about the 30th March. And wondering what it had to do with Eren and a present. Until Levi put two and two together as Hannes' face lit up as he seemed to get an idea.

 

"I know! I will take you to the city and there you can choose an outfit you want!"

 

Eren made a noise, sounding like a whine, both Petra and Levi thought it was cute.

 

"But Uncle! You know I don't know anything about this fashion thing. And why do I have to wear undergarments? It is much more easier to move without them!" Eren whined.

 

Petra almost choked on her spit at Eren's honesty and almost to no modesty to the public about his preferences. Levi on the other hand had to stiffen the smile that threatened to appear. He thought it was funny how Eren could be so shy around strangers but when he was with someone he knew, all that shyness would fly out the window. And didn't care about what he said out in public. Much like Levi himself.

 

Hannes looked embarrassed as he had to — again — explain to his nephew, why people had to wear undergarments in front of Levi and Petra. Eren, who didn't seem embarrassed or ashamed at all, was glad for the distraction. He didn't have to mull about Levi and Petra's relationship. But his chest really hurt, he wants to cry but have to stay strong. He doesn't want Hannes to worry, he already has too much work with the inn and doesn't want to cause unnecessary worrying. And he doesn't want to ruin Levi's relationship with Petra. As long as Levi is happy Eren will support him from the shadows. He will put Levi's happiness before his.

 

“Eren? Are you listening to me?”

 

“Yes, I am Uncle Hannes. But can we go home now? I’m tired from my travel.”

 

“Of course Eren”, Hannes complied easily, knowing that there was something Eren was hiding but let it be. For now.

 

Levi's ears perked up at that and was going to offer to walk them back because he wanted some of Hannes' cooking and try to make Eren comfortable around him and congratulate the boy on his birthday. But remembered that Petra had brought him sandwiches. He watched as Eren and Hannes bid farewell to them and walked to the inn, Hannes' arm was around Eren's shoulders. They were talking and Eren seems to enjoy it. He was smiling a big smile at his uncle, but Levi could see that his eyes were tired and... sad? But the smile was genuine and he hoped that someday Eren would smile like that to him. Levi continued to watch them walk farther and farther away. Hoping that Eren — for some reason — would glance back at him. Eren never did it as he disappeared from Levi's sight, and he felt his chest hurt. And touched the small container that he had around his neck, which was attached to a silver chain and contained a precious thing he got long ago from a friend and savior.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hannes and Eren arrived at the inn, Wall Maria. Armin had went back to the kingdom to take care of some things, so he wasn't there. Hannes asked if Eren was hungry and if he should make something, Eren politely declined, saying that he was too tired and didn't have any appetite, so he would go to his room and rest.

 

As soon as the door was shut and locked, Eren's legs went weak, he managed to drag himself to his bed and buried his face in a pillow, as he finally let out a weak sob. The tears were flowing freely from his eyes as he tried to control the sobs. Eren felt his heart smashing in tiny pieces as he remembered Levi pecking Petra on her lips in his embrace. He thought that only this time he will let his feelings pour out. Later he will lock away these feelings he has for Levi. And wish for his happiness.

 

Eren touched the part of his chest where he could feel the outlinings of the heirloom that his father gave him. It was an old key that his father had inherited from the previous king, Eren's grandfather. The key was inherited in the Jeager family from father to son. That's why Eren treasures and treats it gently since he inherited it from his father, king Grisha Jeager. The only present he has gotten from his father, who always was so busy with the kingdom and training Mikasa so he never had so much time for Eren. But it didn't mean that Grisha never cared for Eren. In truth, Grisha was very protective over his youngest son, because Eren was too hotheaded but also too kind and naïve. Grisha honestly wanted to spend more time with his son and thought that he could as soon as Eren's birthday came, but was disappointed when Eren said that he will depart to the surface world on his sixteenth birthday. Grisha had sulked for days until Eren came to cheer him up, singing and dancing with his father and they had laughed a lot then.

 

Eren chuckled lightly through his sobs at the memory of his father. He had kind of calmed down as he touched the key. He turned his head to look at the clock, surprised that it was evening now. A light knock resounded through the room, Eren stood up and unlocked the door, on the other side of the door was an uneasy Hannes.

 

He had come earlier to Eren's door, as he stood outside the door he had heard Eren's sobs and had tried to open the door to rush to his nephew's side and comfort him, but unfortunately for Hannes so was the door locked and he couldn't get in. Hearing the crying of his nephew tore at his heart. Eren hadn't even been here for a whole day and in that short span of time something had hurt him, and Hannes didn't even know what. And like Eren's father, Hannes' older brother, so had Hannes too developed a protectiveness for his innocent and naïve nephew.

 

A sigh of relief escaped Hannes as he finally saw Eren opening the door. Soon a slightly paler Eren appeared. His eyes were puffy and red from crying so much and his nose was red and stuffy. Hannes asked if Eren wanted to eat something but the food was declined once again. Instead the older man asked if he could enter Eren's room. Eren smiled at his uncle and let him in.

 

The older man stepped in and went and sat on the bed. Eren also went to the bed, but he lied down, his head in his uncle's lap and face buried in the hard stomach, which smelled of the sea and food. The muddled feelings from before had calmed down considerably now, and Eren thought that he really is a crybaby as his mother and sister once told him. Large hands had started to stroke his hair as a deep voice hummed a lullaby to him. The same lullaby that his mother and father would hum to calm him down.

 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hannes asked quietly, nearly a whisper.

 

A nod answered his question. Eren knows that he can't pretend nothing happened, Hannes deserved an explanation. He talked about his first meeting with Levi and what had happened that day, and that's why Eren wants to live and go to a school on the surface world. Hannes was also told that Levi is or was Eren's first love. That's why he had been so hurt when he saw Petra and Levi together today, Eren also told Hannes that he would, no will forget these feelings of his and continue with his life. Even if he never can find someone else to love for eternity, so will he forget this love for Levi he has.

 

Hannes looked sad after he heard his nephew's explanation. He hadn’t known that Eren was the one who saved Levi all those years ago. Hannes knew that if he told someone in Eren’s family they would most likely come here and take Eren back to Shiganshina, which will make Eren even more sad. The uncle of the merman boy decided that he wouldn’t tell them yet, he would wait and see what happens first before he acts on something. With this resolution in mind, Hannes hugged his nephew, who started crying again against his stomach.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After crying for another good hour  — and Hannes changing shirts because the one he had earlier was full of tears and snot — Eren said that he wants to go out to take a breath, Hannes allowed him to do so but not before he gave Eren a green cellphone to put in his pocket. He had explained to Eren how to unlock it and use it, he also showed his nephew how to call him, Hannes had put his number on speed dial on Eren’s phone.

 

The sun was sinking lower when Eren sat on the beach drawing his knees up and leaning his arms on them, and saw the sky dye in red and orange colors. The sand was still warm from the day, so Eren wasn't cold. He heard footsteps behind him but he didn't turn his head.

 

Levi had seen Eren sitting on the beach alone and decided to befriend the Caribbean eyed boy. Which was unnatural for him. Levi doesn't like people much and is deemed as a clean freak, which is true. So he didn't know why he wanted to befriend Eren. Or he did know. He wanted to see if Eren was "him" or not.

 

The footsteps of Levi stopped behind Eren, as the taller of the two looked down on the brunet. He greeted Eren but was only met with silence. He tried again and this time Eren abruptly stood up and started to walk away. Unfortunately so had the raven fast reflexes and caught the boy's right wrist. Not expecting it, Levi had used too much strength, which forced Eren to turn.

 

Silver-blue eyes widened as they saw fresh tears running down tan cheeks and more tears around sad and glazed Caribbean eyes. Eren trashed around, trying to get away from the stronger male, but was too weak for Levi who regularly worked out.

 

"Lassen Sie mich los!" (Let me go!) Eren shouted at Levi in his mother tongue and glared fiercely at the taller male through his tears.

 

Levi was stunned that Eren could produce a glare like that — and suddenly speak German to him — and stupidly released him. He thought that Eren was too innocent and naïve and shy to get angry like that. But now did he know that he was totally wrong to think that Eren was weak and couldn't stand up for himself. What Levi didn't know was why Eren was crying and why it saddened him so.

 

Levi watched as Eren turned around and saw that Eren had dropped something. He saw Eren run farther and farther away, away from Levi, away from the sandy beach, till he reached the more rockier part of the beach, where the water was deeper so he could just dive in the sea.

 

The young merman dived head-first into the sea, as his body transformed from a human to a merman. His legs growing green scales that soon developed to a fin. His clothes magically disappeared, or rather they were transferred to the light green sea shell locket that Eren had attached to his left wrist. The merman swam and swam until he reached the destination where he knew that there wouldn’t be any humans to hear him. Swimming to the surface, Eren saw an appropriate stone where he could sit on and still have his fin touching the water. He heaved himself up on the rock and saw the beautiful colors of the sky.

 

Eren had been shocked when it had been Levi standing beside him. The reason why he came out to the beach was to calm down and not to meet the reason of his emotional uproar. Hoping that Levi would leave him alone, Eren had opted to ignore the other, but when Levi hadn’t left Eren knew that he had to get away, or else he would surely do something he regretted. He could feel the burning sensation behind his eyelids again and stood abruptly up to leave. But having his right wrist caught had brought up some unpleasant memories, so he had started to throw a fit and getting away from Levi as he unconsciously started to glare at him. That seemed to have been the trick as Levi loosened his grip on Eren’s wrist and Eren had started to run away. Now that Eren was calm he wondered why he had thrown that fit, it could only be because of those muddled feelings Eren had been having.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Levi had been walking on the beach since Eren had run away from him. Heading to the place where he knew that his friend had been hiding at when he had saved Levi. Levi wondered what had made Eren so hostile to him, hoping that the younger male didn’t hate him he continued his journey.

 

_‘One morning I woke up hearing my name..’_

 

The scale Levi carried with him started to shine as he heard something akin to a song. Hurriedly he started to walk faster, not believing what he was hearing and hoped that it was what he hoped it was.  

 

_‘My name, in someone else's voice_

_Floating above the deep blue sea_

_Below the blue sky I sing, a song about my dream_

_Somewhere in this wide sea, somebodies voice_

_Sounds so sad and heart broken.._ ’

 

The voice was clearer now and the grip on the small container that contained the green shining scale got harder, the singer was male that much Levi knew and the voice was soft and smooth and gave Levi the same familiar feelings like he had gotten ten years ago. Levi broke out into a run, he ran faster than he ever had, until he saw a figure bathe in the setting sun’s light. Harsh pants broke out of his mouth as he eyed the person singing on the rock. The contours clearly showed a fin. Levi listened to the song as he neared the person on the rock.

 

_‘From a lonely crying heart, love itself cannot be born_

_The only thing you get is overflowing sadness’_

 

Now Levi was so near that he could see the chestnut brown hair. The sneakers Levi had put on was now met with water, he didn’t care that they got drenched as all he saw was him. Levi stepped into the ocean, not caring that he was still wearing clothes, all that mattered now was the male singing that song.

 

_‘From the fragments of a beautiful wish of the deep blue sea_

_Someone's crying out for help, help from only me_

_In the big, wide orange sea the voice echos into my mind_

_while the orange sea blends into the sunrise’_

 

Eren finished the song and stared at sunset, loving how the rays warmed him up, both physically and emotionally. His inner turmoil had settled down now. As he was going to hop into water again and swim back to Wall Maria and apologize to Hannes for making him anxious. A splash and then one more neared Eren and he tensed up. He quickly leaped into the ocean and his behind the rock.

 

‘Why is someone here?! Did he see me?! No one should be coming here! This place should be way out from the places that the humans can move! It is also hid behind a cliff, so it should be hard to find!’

 

Before Eren started to swim a voice shouted for him to stop. A voice he recognized, Eren’s eyes widened as he heard the owner of the voice neared the rock he hid behind.

 

“Please! Wait! You are the one who saved me all those years ago, right? You are the merman boy who sung with me, right?” Levi asked, desperate for an answer from the merman.

 

A green fin showed itself from behind the rock, Levi saw that it was the same green as the scale he had, relief made its way into his heart as he saw that familiar color. Now he knew that this was the merman that had saved him. But he also wanted to see the beautiful merman boy from his childhood. He begged for the merman to show himself but was met with a splash, Levi concluded that the merman had dived into the sea again.

 

 _‘Is there a reason why he doesn’t want me to see him?’_ Levi thought disappointedly as he turned around to swim back to the shore. He felt something tug at his leg and dragged him down under the water. Green-blue orbs filled his vision briefly before a hand covered his eyes, and felt something soft touch his right cheek, the last thing he saw was the merman’s smile, he couldn’t see the face because of the hand that covered over his eyes. Then he was pushed away and the merman swam away. Levi reached his hand out, in a futile attempt to keep the merman to remain.

 

Levi relaxed his body as he floated to the surface. Silver-blue closed until they could feel the sea breeze against them. Levi stared at the red-orange sky, reaching to touch his right cheek with his hand. Surely it had been lips that had touched him there. The merman had pecked him on his cheek. But… if the merman had wanted to kiss him he could have done it but didn’t for some reason. Like he knew that Levi is in a relationship… But was the peck a friendly gesture or did it mean something… more?

  
“Aaah… this is so confusing”, Levi mumbled to himself as he turned around and swam to the shore. Cringing as he felt his clothes clinging to his skin and hurried home before he catched a cold. It was still only March.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry if this chapter wasn't satisfactory... or as good as you think


	3. Chapter 02 - Splash Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to change the ages a little to match the school ages, there will also be some jealousy and hurting, and some cute moment with Eren and his "brother"
> 
> (P.S. I hope I never write a long chapter like this again)
> 
> But enjoy this chapter =D
> 
> And thanks for all kudos and comments,  
> seriously I never thought that I would get that many

# Chapter 2: Splash Dream

 

The morning sun shining through the window, into the lounge on all the tables and at a small stage in the middle against the wall. Wall Maria was having a breakfast buffet, the customers were few, even though the food was delicious; scrambled eggs, bacon, meatballs, mini sausages, all different kind of breads, cheese, ham, fish, salad, cereals and one could mix it either with milk or some yoghurt, they also had croissants both normal and filled, they even had nutella (A/N: I love nutella <3). The owner of Wall Maria, Hannes, liked these quiet mornings, especially when it was self-serving table, the customers had to pay at the entrance if they weren’t the inn’s guests. But he knew that he had to come up with something new to draw in more customers but what, he didn’t know.

 

Hannes were drying some glasses behind the counter when it happened. Normally he wouldn’t care what his nephew did as long as he didn’t do anything embarrassing in public. And this time he knew that he had to scold his nephew for his weird habits. There was a fridge behind the counter, where Hannes could stock up all the drinks and yoghurts so he didn’t have to walk back and forth to the main fridge — which was a big stockroom that was cold. And he usually put flavoured milk and normal milk in that fridge, unfortunately it led to what was happening now.

 

Eren had come home late last night and had overslept, which meant he had had a late shower — Eren can transform to a merman with his will alone but he has to touch water, which means even if Eren touches water he won’t transform if he doesn’t want to, but it doesn’t work so good with seawater because then his merman instincts wants to take over — which led to this predicament. After his shower, Eren hadn’t realized that Hannes had already opened the buffet because he was tired, so he had walked directly from the shower to the fridge behind the counter, in the lounge. In nothing but a thin towel wrapped around his waist.

 

Many of the customers choked on their foods or drinks when they saw a tanned but beautiful boy walk in the room in only a towel. They saw his small frame and slim body that was accented with muscles that still made him look lean and not lanky and with his long but thin and smooth arms and legs the boy could be a model. The sun shone on the boy’s skin and showed how smooth it was and the remaining water on that tanned skin glistened, making it look like he had been sweating and his chestnut hair was still damp from the shower. The boy opened the fridge and bent down a little to reach the bottle of milk his uncle had put away for him. Said uncle was stupefied as he watched his nephew search for the milk he wanted, presenting his round plump ass to everyone else in the room, which was fortunately still covered with the towel. When the boy finally walked out of the room with the milk in his hand, he left the whole lounge in a dead silence.

 

That was what Hannes remembered from 1st April — people had asked him if it had been a joke for April Fool’s Day, Hannes had assured them that he himself hadn’t known that would happen — now it had been three days since that incident. Of course he had scolded Eren for doing that and made him promise not to do it again. What he hadn’t expected was the situation right now. Suddenly, April the 4th, he had so many customers like he had in a week. And all because of the rumor of the beautiful nephew he had. Hannes knew that Eren was beautiful or more like too cute to be a guy — much to the young merman’s chagrin — but he hadn’t known that his nephew’s appearance could attract this many customers to his small inn. And because it was Eren who had attracted them here, he made sure to make Eren help him out since the boy didn’t have any school yet.

 

The women cooed when they saw him and the men couldn’t tear their gazes from him. Eren was glad that he doesn’t have to talk when he is helping out at the inn just give the customers a smile and take away their dishes, and the work takes his mind off… of other things. It had been four days since he last saw Levi and made that stunt under the water. Only remembering what he did made his face red like a tomato. Tomorrow he would start at Survey Corps as a freshman. He looked forward to it, he wanted to meet new people even though he was shy. And maybe… maybe he would find someone else to love. But when he thought about it, he had to see Levi and Petre be lovey-dovey with each other almost everyday, except weekends, because they went to the same school even though they were two years older than Eren. That hurt his heart.

 

_‘I only have manage one year. One year and then they will graduate and I don’t have to see them.’_

 

With this resolution in mind Eren continued to work hard and helping Hannes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Levi was sitting at a table in a coffee shop with a scowl on his face. Why you wonder? One; because he almost always looks like that, two; because of the shit-eating grin one of his best friends has on her face now. The other friend just sipped at his coffee calmly.

 

The raven had been surfing and thinking about the merman for four days. He had been sitting on a lounger when he had been tackled to the ground from behind by none other than a manic fucking crazy scientist, aka Hanji Zoe. The other one that had been accompanying her had reached out his hand to help Levi up. Two strong hands joined and the taller blond male helped the raven up.

 

Erwin Smith, Levi’s other best friend, was a tall and bulky male who also had an undercut but the lower part of his hair was a darker blond than the upper part — he looked like Captain America. This man possessed two calculative blue eyes and some fucking big eyebrows. Erwin was very intelligent despite his appearance and could be very manipulating. But he was a good friend and he makes one think that one wouldn’t want to make him one’s enemy. He and Levi sometimes had their arguments but that just mean that they are close friends.

 

And now they were sitting at a table at the cafe near the beach, Café Rose.

 

“So…”, Hanji began as she looked at Levi and widened her grin, “Is it true that you know that beauty working at Hannes’ inn?”

 

“What beauty?” Levi asked, he had an inkling feeling that he knew who Hanji was talking about.

 

“Ooooh! You know that cute boy with big caribbean eyes!” Hanji snickered.

 

Levi raised a fine eyebrow at Hanji’s question. Sure he knew Eren but he wasn’t so sure if Eren really knew him, the boy had glared at him four days ago. But if Eren was the merman, why would he then peck him on the cheek if he didn’t like him?

 

“And if I knew him what does that have anything to do with you, Shitty Glasses?”

 

“Well~ I want you to introduce us to your new friend. I want to know what kind of boy can make our Levi so… people friendly.”

 

“I am not his friend. Or rather I don’t think he likes me”, Levi bit out, knowing that Eren would be scared shitless if he introduced Hanji to him; or worse, become one of her experiments’ objects. He would rather have Eren disliking him than hating him.

 

Hanji looked baffled when she heard that Levi thought that Eren didn’t like him. Asking him why he thinks that, but Levi remained tight lipped and didn’t indulge the science freak, and drank his coffee. He then heard some women whispering. The women were loud so he couldn’t help but listen.

 

“Hey did you know?” one woman with brown hair started and the other, with black hair, shook her head.

 

“You know Wall Maria right?” and the black haired woman nodded.

 

“Well it seems that the owner’s nephew moved in with him like four days ago, and did you know what happened in the morning the next day?”

 

The black haired woman shook her head again and asked what happened. Levi got interested in their conversation, especially since it seemed to be about Eren, he glanced at Hanji and Erwin and they too seemed interested.

 

“A friend of mine was there to eat the breakfast buffet, and you know what? The nephew of the owner had apparently overslept and showered and then he just walked into the lounge wearing nothing but a towel around his waist! And as a bonus so was this boy su~per cute! Then the boy just walked away like he hadn’t almost showed his whole body to the public!”

 

Levi choked on his coffee and coughed as he heard what Eren had done. Baffled at what he heard, he thought, this was way more of a public menace than when Levi heard that Eren liked to go commando when they first met.

 

After his coughing had subsided, silver-blue eyes glanced at Hanji and Erwin. Hanji was a laughing mess and was on the floor because she was laughing so hard. Erwin was… well he was Erwin and continued to sip on his coffee but Levi could detect a smile on the blonde’s lips.

 

Standing up after having laughing so much that her stomach hurt, Hanji suggested:

 

“W-Why don’t we go to that buffet tomorrow? Then we will be able to walk to school with that nephew of Hannes.”

 

Wanting to say “fuck no!” to that but changed his mind, when Levi remembered that he still had Eren’s cellphone and had to give it back to the brunet. So that led to a relenting Levi going with Hanji and her antics, again.

 

“Levi.”

 

This time it was Erwin who talked to him. Levi shifted his eyes so he was directly looking at his friend.

 

“Are you sure that you love Petra?” Erwin asked, knowing that surely that Hannes’ nephew was the merman he saw four days ago — he had seen the boy with Hannes in town — and the one who saved Levi nine years ago. Because Levi had told him and Hanji about that incident and how the merman boy looked like. He also noticed that Levi’s eyes would always shine when the trio talked about merpeople or specially the green-blue eyed merman boy. He was sure that Levi liked that boy, but did the person himself know it?

 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Was the answer Erwin received and the blonde sighed at his friend’s stubbornness.  

 

In truth, so had Levi questioned his feeling for Petra since Eren arrived. He had wanted to spend more time with the boy than his girlfriend. Then he thought about the merman and his obsession about him. He was sure that Eren was the merman, because the day Eren arrived and the day he saw the merman coincide, and that couldn’t be a coincidence. Plus they had the same color for the eyes and Levi knew that color wasn’t a common trait in people. He also was sure if he had met Eren when the boy was younger, he would be the exact copy of the younger merman, not that he had changed so much. The merman still had large eyes and plump, pink lips. The two’s looks matched too perfectly and Levi knew if Eren would sing, he would sound exactly like the merman. Levi had enough evidence that Eren was the merman from his childhood, but nothing was just solid enough to make him really sure.

 

He thought of Erwin’s question, he was sure he felt something for Petra but if it was love or something else he didn’t know. Then he thought about his feelings for Eren. Wanting the boy to smile at him, look at him with his big green-blue eyes, wanting to know that shy boy's favourite color, food and music. Levi wanted to see all of Eren's expressions; the angry ones, the happy ones etc. But he didn't want people to ogle at the green-blue eyed beauty. Hell when he knew that Eren had almost showed people all of his body, he was fuming with a feeling that he didn’t know, thinking it was unfair that other people got to see Eren like that but not him. Levi wanted to possess everything of Eren. He wanted to be the only one to see Eren’s naked body and pleasure filled…

 

_‘What am I thinking now?! I barely know him and I think like this already?! The boy is only sixteen! And if he is that merman he surely doesn’t know all functions of a human body!’_ Levi chastised himself.

 

What Levi didn’t know was that he had been completely quiet the whole time and and still like a statue, that Hanji and Erwin stared at him as they saw many different kinds of emotions appear and disappear in his silver-blue eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

~The next day~

 

Okay. This was not what Levi had in mind when he thought that he should come earlier to give Eren his cellphone. He, Hanji and Erwin had decided to meet at the lounge in Wall Maria at seven o’clock in the morning to have time to enjoy the food and maybe, maybe talk to Eren. But no, he had to come earlier, even before Hannes had opened the morning buffet, saying that Eren had dropped his cellphone and he wants to return it to the boy before they open so the boy can charge it before he had to walk to school. And Hannes had to invite him into the lounge and offer him some morning coffee as he waited for the brunet. And unfortunately for Levi so had Hannes forgotten about his nephew’s new habit.

 

The time was 06.15 in the morning, which meant that the buffet would open in fifteen minutes. And as a habit that Eren had developed since he came to live with Hannes, was to take a shower in the morning and then walk to the lounge’s fridge to drink milk, in nothing but a towel. Hannes had said to him that he couldn’t do it when the buffet was open, because it was inappropriate for someone in Eren’s age, Eren had shrugged and promised to not do it. At least not when there were people in the lounge. So since that day Eren would wake up at six o’clock in the morning and take a shower then walk to where his dear and lovely, creamy milk is, he loves milk because there was nothing like it in the ocean and it tastes great. And because Eren is still groggy in the mornings even after having showered, he didn’t realize the person sitting in the lounge.

 

Levi was sipping on his coffee when he heard the door open. He hadn’t thought any about it, thinking that it was Hannes, but the footsteps was too light to be the older man. Silver-blue eyes shifted to where he heard the steps and was met with a sight that he hadn’t been prepared for. There was Eren in nothing but a small towel around his slim waist, and the boy was still wet from having showered making his skin glisten. Levi took in everything of Eren’s body, his long and smooth arms and legs, his lean and slightly muscled body and small frame. Because Levi was a surfer he knew that Eren got those muscles from swimming. He saw Eren walk to the fridge behind the counter to open it and he almost spit his coffee out when he saw the boy bend down to search for something, showing his round butt that was still covered by the towel but only barely to Levi. Then Eren stood straight up and closed the fridge’s door and opened the small packet of milk and drank greedily up the white substance. Levi watched Eren’s Adam’s apple go up and down as the boy gulped the drink down. As soon as Levi saw that Eren was done he cleared his throat, trying to make the boy pay attention that he isn’t alone.

 

The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped Eren out of his morning grogginess, and he wildly looked around him to see who it was. The buffet wouldn’t open before half past six so it was weird that someone already was here. Green-blue eyes continued to search around him till his eyes met piercing silver-blue ones. Eren’s eyes widened, he hadn’t seen Levi since the evening of his birthday and just remembering what he did then made him want to run away. Yeah, that’s what he was going to do, run out the door and up to his room. Spinning around and starting to for the door, Eren hadn’t realized the knot on the towel around his waist had loosened up and he felt it almost fall off his body, if not a big hand had managed to catch the ends of the towel and held them together so it wouldn’t fall off Eren’s waist.

 

Levi had reacted fast when he saw Eren run to the door and was fast on his feet running after the boy, his long legs making him faster than Eren, who had stopped for a moment. It only took a moment for Levi to understand why when he saw that loose towel, he acted fast and managed to clutch the ends of the towel keeping it on Eren’s waist. He was standing right behind the boy and Levi leaned down to Eren’s ear.

 

“You have to keep still if you don’t want the towel to fall off.”

 

Eren squeezed his eyes shut as he felt both of Levi’s hand on his hip trying to tie a new knot. He knew that he had never been so embarrassed in his whole life as now. As soon as he felt Levi was done with the knot he murmured a small “thank you” and prepared to run for the door again. But a hand on his wrist stopped him and suddenly he was dragged out of the lounge and asked where his room was. Of course Eren answered automatically and said it was up the stairs and the room farthest on the right side. Levi dragged him up the stairs and to his room. He was then pinned to the door by two strong arms beside his head.

 

Levi leaned closer to Eren so his face was right in front of the boy’s. Silver-blue and green-blue eyes met once again, and Levi asked the fidgeting boy — who had lowered his head and tried see if he could find a way out of this situation — in a low voice.

 

“Why are you always running away when you see me?”

 

Eren looked up at Levi with tears in his eyes making his eyes look even bigger. He was scared because Levi is acting scary and he didn’t like it at all. And furthermore having nothing more than a towel on him made him feel vulnerable. He tried to squirm away from Levi but was only pressed more to the door by the larger body in front of him. Now Eren was completely terrified and let his tears flow down from his eyes as a sob came out from his mouth.

 

Levi, who finally realized that he scared Eren and made him cry, backed away immediately as he tried to calm the boy down. But only made it worse by touching Eren. Levi had never before tried to calm someone who was crying and was having a hard time calming Eren down. Who only wailed louder and louder by each passing minute.

 

Hannes burst through the door, hearing his nephew’s cries from the hallway. The scene displayed before him could be interpreted in many ways, especially when he saw Levi in his nephew’s room and said nephew was only wearing a towel and crying. But soon dispersed that thought when he saw Levi desperately trying to calm Eren down.

 

Eren who noticed that his uncle was there rushed into the familiar arms and continued to cry. Having his uncle to gently rock him to side to side to calm him down — Hannes is thanking Eren’s mom, Carla, for teaching him that technique for in case Eren was crying — as the raven haired teen watched them, learning a way to calm Eren down if he made the brunet cry again. He felt guilty for making Eren scared and cry. He had wanted to calm him down, but everything he had tried made only the boy cry harder.

 

‘Does he hate me that much?’ he thought dejectedly as he saw Eren calm down in Hannes arms as the older man whispered sweet, calming words to the boy.

 

When Eren had calmed down and was only sniffling, a cold shiver ran through him, he had forgotten that he didn’t have any clothes on. Suddenly a warmth engulfed his shoulders, he looked at his back and saw a green blazer on them, it also smelled like Levi. Eren glanced at Levi and saw that the raven haired teen was looking to the side with a troubled expression. Eren then realized that Levi had helped him before with his towel, and even had tried to calm him down when he started crying, even if the raven was unsuccessful in that.

 

Eren told his uncle that he was okay now and thanked Hannes and said that he could go back to work now. Hannes didn’t fully believe him but relented and quietly closed the door to his nephew’s room. Eren waved to his uncle, wishing him good luck. Turning around Eren saw Levi deep in thoughts and neared the taller male slowly.

 

Levi had noticed Eren’s shiver was probably from being cold, so he had taken off his school blazer and placed it on the boy’s shoulder to protect him a little from being cold. He then looked to the side, contemplating everything that had just happened, he had made Eren yet again run away for an unknown reason, then saved the boy from dropping the towel, then dragged the boy up to his room, where he had scared Eren and made him cry. He sighed, he only wanted to befriend the boy but almost failed every attempt or messed up, like now.

 

The raven felt a slight tug on his right sleeve, he looked down and saw a tan hand clutch at it, then his eyes traveled up and met caribbean colored eyes, filled with curiosity and wonder. This was the closest he had been to a willing Eren. Whose eyes was filled with a gentle warmth, this time it was directed to him as the boy smiled.

 

“Thank you for helping me earlier and sorry for crying so suddenly”, Eren said shyly but continued to smile at Levi, who saw a small blush on those tan cheeks.

 

This was the first time Eren had talked to Levi, since he arrived. And Levi was happy with this unexpected development. Thinking that the caribbean eyed boy would never want to be near him after this. He smiled a small smile, one that he hadn’t done since he was nine, and reached out a hand and placed it on a mop of soft chestnut brown hair and ruffled the hair, making it messier than it already was.

 

“No problem kid. And sorry for scaring you.”

 

Tan cheeks got darker with color when the boy saw the taller male smile and ruffled his hair. A sneeze broke out of him and Eren shivered more noticeably. Levi, who was lucky that Eren had placed his hand before his mouth before any germs had landed on the raven, took a tissue box from the desk in Eren’s rooms and placed a tissue over the boy’s nose, and told him to blow his nose. Eren obediently blew his nose in the tissue and when he was done Levi threw it in the trashcan.

 

“Hey, where is your uniform?” Levi asked as he turned to face Eren again. Who tilted his head cutely to the side.

 

“My uniform? What is an uniform?” Levi raised his eyebrow, didn’t Eren know what an uniform was?

 

“Okay, I will only explain this one time, got it?” He received a nod as an answer and had Eren’s full attention now.

 

“Do you see what I have on me?” Eren nodded slowly.

 

“Well this is the uniform, in other words the clothes that I have to wear to school, understand?” One more nod.

 

“But in some schools you don’t have to wear an uniform, then you can dress as you normally do. But it isn’t t only schools that requires you to have an uniform, some occupations requires it too. Do you know how a police officer looks like?” Eren nodded once again.

 

“They are those men or women in blue clothes with the emblem of Trost on it, right? Oh, and a weird black belt?”

 

“That’s right. So you have to wear our school’s uniform to be able to get in by the gates. And because you are a freshman you will receive your necktie there and you have to wear it as long as go to that school. Look I have a blue tie, which shows that I am a third year and that I started that school two years ago. Your will be a green one which will show that you are new and started this term, okay?”

 

“Yes”, Eren answered enthusiastically and started to search for his clothes and gave Levi his blazer back, he first found a pair of green boxers that he could put on. Forgetting that he had a guest in his room, Eren took off his towel and wore his boxers, not paying any attention to the raven that he had presented his bare butt to. Levi cleared his throat to draw Eren’s attention to him.

 

“If you are going to change can’t you give me a warning beforehand? So I can go outside and wait for you.”

 

“Why?” Eren innocently replied, “We are both guys so why does it matter?”

 

Levi sighed, not coming up with a reply because Eren was right, he went and sat down on Eren’s bed as he watched the boy — only clad in boxers and showing Levi his body — take out his uniform from the closet. Eren put first on the white pants and the black belt with it, then the white, short sleeved dress shirt. He had a hard time to button it up because it was the first time he was wearing something like this.

 

Levi stood up and went to help Eren with his shirt when he saw the boy button the wrong buttons, making the white shirt uneven. Placing his hands on the buttons that Eren had buttoned wrong and undid them and then corrected them. Levi took the green blazer from the holder and held it out to Eren, who put it carefully on, marveling at the material — it was soft but thick.

 

“Thank you very much for helping me Levi-san.” Eren politely thanked the older male as he smiled gently at him.

 

He had thought he could stop having these feeling for the raven, but it was proven to be futile. Eren was truly attracted to him, both in the past and present time. He may not know much about the Levi now, but he will try to befriend this tall and intense looking teen, and become friends, even if it will hurt in the end. He will absolutely not ruin a relationship between two people. It isn’t right to do that.

 

Looking at the time, the raven noted that it was five minutes to seven. He still had five minutes before Hanji and Erwin was here on their agreed time. He looked at the younger teen and grunted as a “you’re welcome” and ruffled that messy hair again.

 

“We should go down and eat breakfast”, he drawled and Eren nodded in agreement, as his stomach growled. Making the younger blush in embarrassment at his loud stomach. Levi chuckled and took Eren’s hand in his own and bigger hand, and dragged the teen out of his room.

 

At the entrance of the inn the two teens saw two figures, seemingly waiting for someone. Levi recognized them and dragged Eren there. Eren, who saw those two figures, was feeling uncomfortable when Levi dragged him to them. One was a woman, with messy brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and was wearing some strange goggles over her brown eyes. She had a wide grin on her face as she saw them. The other one was a tall male — even taller than Levi, Eren noted — who was bulky and had some big eyebrows, he had blond hair and also an undercut. His eyes shone with amusement.

 

When the two arrived at the newcomers’ side, Eren hid behind Levi, he really didn’t like strangers, because one time he was nearly kidnapped if Mikasa hadn’t noticed it and beat those guys to bloody pulps. Since then he has been careful around strangers and he developed his shy personality thanks to that.

 

The other two teens thought it was cute how Eren hid behind Levi, who was happy that Eren was this comfortable around him now. Hanji jumped up to Eren and took his hands in hers and shook them.

 

“My~! Aren’t you just a cute little thing~!” She cooed as she stared Eren from head to toe. She was mesmerized by those green-blue orbs, wondering what kind of genes can produce such beautiful color.

 

Eren who was scared when the woman suddenly grabbed his hands and shook them wildly, and looked at him with a manic grin. He felt that his life was literally and figuratively in danger when he saw that smile. Fortunately for Eren, so did the blond male pry the crazy woman from him and he let out a sigh of relief. The blond male reached his hand out to Eren and introduced himself with a smile.

 

“Hello, I’m Erwin Smith and the one beside me is Hanji Zoe. We both are friends of Levi and the same age as him.”

 

“Hello sir, I am Eren Jeager.”

 

Eren answered, not even a hint of the shyness he displayed earlier and took hold of Erwin’s hand and shook it firmly and looked him straight in the eyes. One of the things his father taught him, to always shake hands with a firm grip and look the other party in the eyes, otherwise he would appear really weak to the others.

 

Erwin was surprised that Eren didn’t even hesitate to shake his hand when he had only hid behind Levi moments ago. Said raven was burning holes in his head with intense silver-blue eyes. Erwin chuckled and said that they should go and eat now.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After having eaten breakfast — and been amazed by Eren’s like for milk products and sweets — the four teens were walking to school in a calm pace. The opening ceremony didn’t start before a quarter past eight. They still had a half an hour to get there, but Eren had to go and get his tie from the teachers and see what class he was placed in.

 

Arriving to school, Eren saw a table outside the entrance where the teachers had the freshmen’s ties. He went and stood in the queue, luckily there was only two people before him so he didn’t have to wait too long to get his tie. He also got to know which his class was in, 1-A.

 

Getting his tie he bid goodbye to the teachers at the table politely — like his mother taught him to do with people — and left them dazed by how a good kid he was. Trying to tie his necktie but only succeeded to tie it into a ribbon, he turned around to ask if Levi could help him. At first he didn’t believe his eyes, but assured himself that people do that when they are in a relationship. He saw Levi and Petra kissing once again, but this time it felt like it was more intimate. They both had their eyes closed and their arms tightly around each other. Eren swallowed a tight lump in his throat and smiled sadly as he teared his gaze away from the couple, trying to look anything else and not let the tears burning behind his eyelids flow down.

 

“Is that you Eren?”

 

Eren turned around and saw a teen taller than himself, with freckles on his nose and cheeks, and black hair. The merman immediately recognized him as his sister’s fiancé’s younger brother, Marco Bodt. Marco had left Shiganshina to also live in the surface world, he looked after Eren a lot and was his playmate, even though he was older than Eren but only by two years. Eren saw him as the big brother he never had.

 

“Brother Marco!” Eren smiled and hugged his brother. Who also hugged the merman prince in return. He had truly missed Eren, who always wanted to play with him and shared his interest in the human race. Eren was truly like a baby brother to him. What a surprising shock he had gotten when he saw Eren at his school as a freshman.

 

“Gay!” Shouted one of the students. Eren retaliated by standing on his tip-toes and wrapped his slender arms around Marco’s neck and pecked his brother on the cheek, and then smirked.

 

“Well luckily me for being gay, if that means brother Marco is my lover, horseface.” The person with a horseface spluttered at the insult as he walked away.

 

Marco chuckled, he knew that Eren didn’t like any kind of discrimination and would always pull weird stunts to shut anyone up. And his speciality was being innocently intimate with people. That’s one of the reason why the merpeople in Shiganshina loved their prince so. Marco also pecked Eren’s cheek.

 

“Well if Eren was my lover I certainly wouldn’t mind being gay.” And chuckled again when he saw the faint blush on his baby brother’s face.

 

Looking at Eren again, Marco noticed that Eren had gotten a little taller than the last time he saw him, but his features were almost the same as then so it hadn’t been hard to recognise him. He thought that the school uniform fit Eren unexpectedly well, until his eyes reached the prince’s neck.

 

“Eren, why haven’t you tied your necktie yet?” Marco asked, truly curious. Eren noticed that Marco was wearing a blue necktie, which meant that he was a senior. A pout found its way on the prince’s face as he mumbled:

 

“I don’t know how to tie it.”

 

Marco untied his necktie and motioned that Eren should imitate what he’s doing. He carefully instructed Eren how to tie it by showing him. Eren looked and listened intently at Marco, following each step carefully. Finally Eren succeeded to tie the knot, and happily thanked Marco as he hugged the freckled teen again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Four pair of silver-blue, amber colored, blue and brown eyes watched the scene. The two females thinking it was cute, but the one with brown eyes knew that certain someone was jealous of what had just happened.

 

_‘Well it was his own fault that he was too busy to kiss his girlfriend to notice that Eren was going to ask him for help’_ , Hanji thought, she and Erwin had observed Eren this whole time and saw when the boy accidently tied then necktie to a ribbon. And they also had seen the hurt on his face when he saw Levi and Petra kissing and let resignation fill his eyes as he smiled sadly at the scene before looking away. Hanji thought that Levi truly was an asshole this time. He, who was so observant, couldn’t even detect the boy’s feeling for him and hurting the poor teen in the process.

 

Erwin thought the same things as Hanji. He knew that Eren was strong, based on the stunt the boy just pulled, but how long would it take until the feelings he had bottled up would crush him?

 

Sure, they both liked Petra, but somehow… she didn’t fit Levi. Levi had mellowed out a tiny bit since he started dating Petra. But when he was with Eren, both Hanji and Erwin thought that Levi was like a completely different person. He was truly happy when he was with the boy. The boy looked always with Levi with a warmth that could make anyone jealous, making them wish they also had someone that looked at them like that. Even though they just met today, Hanji and Erwin could determine that Eren was truly kind, gentle and determined, and not weak like some thought.

 

All four seniors watched as Eren and Marco walked through the gates, hand in hand. Laughter filling everyone’s ears came from the duo, it seemed like Marco had told Eren something funny, making the teen laugh with tears at his eyes and in return making Marco laugh with him.

 

A black blur passed Hanji. Erwin reacted fast and gripped the raven’s arm, making him stumble back a little, as his eyes glared at the blond that held him in place. Then shifted silver-blue eyes to where he was headed to, glaring at the senior with freckles who was holding a smaller, tan hand.

 

Levi was seething with anger. When he saw Eren jump in that freckled senior’s arms and then kissed him on the cheek and got kissed on the cheek too, Levi thought that he would lose it. He was raring to go and punch Marco but was stopped by Eyebrows before he could.

 

“Levi. No, don’t do it”, Erwin sternly said, “Do you truly want him to hate you? If you punch Marco, someone Eren seems to know really well, he won’t take it lying down. Eren won’t be afraid to fight you if you hurt someone dear to him.”

 

“And how would you know that?” Levi seethed, his voice filled with venom. Erwin didn’t even flinch at Levi’s tone. And continued.

 

“A handshake can say much about a person my friend. And have you forgotten that Petra is your girlfriend? Why does it matter to you seeing Eren with somebody else? Eren is his own person, he can hug or kiss anyone he wants. He isn’t yours. Or do you think he is yours?” Erwin mocked him, but knew he had gotten through Levi.

 

Levi calmed down. Erwin was right. Eren wasn’t his. The boy could go and kiss anyone he wanted, because it didn’t have anything to do with Levi. He already had a girlfriend, Petra. But why was he so drawn to Eren. Yes, Eren could be the merman from his childhood, that was his main reason to befriend the brunet, to see if it really was him. But if he wasn’t the merman? What would Levi do then?

 

“It doesn’t matter what he does. He is just a brat that doesn’t know anything. If I hadn’t my reasons, I would never even care or befriend him!” Levi spat out in the heat of the moment not thinking about what he was saying, and not noticing the boy behind him. But Erwin certainly did and was surprised when a bag hit Levi.

 

Levi was surprised by the bag that hit him and turned around to glare with at the person who did it, and was shocked to see a mop of familiar brown hair. Eren had his head down and his bangs covered his eyes so Levi couldn’t see them, but thought that the boy was surely crying. He reached a hand out, going to ruffle that brown hair and apologize. But his hand was harshly slapped away by Eren who lifted his head. Levi was shocked, instead of seeing those warm green-blue eyes he was so familiar with, he saw two golden orbs filled anger and hate, glaring at him.

 

Eren and Marco had seen Levi and Erwin arguing about something. Being curious about what had happened, Eren walked towards them. He couldn’t hear anything about what they said but he certainly heard what Levi said in the end when he was standing behind the taller raven. So Levi didn’t care about him? So all the raven had done for him was an act? Everything? Eren thought that he was stupid. He should have known that Levi was like all other humans and not been blinded by the past and how the raven acted around him. He knew that his eyes were the type to change colors when he was angry, they always changed to gold when he was truly angry. And now he was seething with anger as he slapped Levi’s hand away from him. He didn’t want the raven to touch him. He sharply turned around and returned to Marco, taking the latter’s hand in his own and dragged him inside to the school. Leaving a stunned Levi and student body at what just happened.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He had fucked up. He really had fucked it up now, Levi thought as he slumped down on his desk. It had been a week since the Opening Ceremony and his fuck up with Eren. The boy had avoided him or ignored him blatantly when he had tried to approach him, by abruptly turning around or just passed the raven and completely ignore him. He even had tried to ask for Eren at Wall Maria but Hannes said that Eren had said that he didn’t even want to see him or meet him.

 

Erwin and Hanji had also tried to approach the brunet about the subject but was dismissed the moment they mentioned the raven’s name. Petra had also tried to approach Eren but that also ended in failure. She had noticed that there was something going on between Eren and Levi, she was worried that Levi would leave her, because it was a known fact that the raven was bisexual. She had tried to make the other girls to help her — except Hanji because she really liked Eren — and the past week they had tried many different kind of methods to make Eren hate Levi even more, but what they didn’t know was that Hanji knew about their plans and had already informed Eren, begging the brunet to be careful. Eren’s started to dislike Petra and ignored her when she started to talk with him.

 

One time he even snapped at her that he didn’t want anything to do with Levi and her, and if they were having a lover’s quarrel he would like it if she didn’t involve him. That had shut Petra up and she stopped the attacks on the brunet. One; because she was scared when she saw Eren’s eyes turn gold and angry. Two; because he was right, Eren didn’t have anything to do with what happened between Levi and her.

 

Marco had tried to make the brunet smile by bringing him sweets and other things. But the prince almost immediately dismissed it, saying that he wasn’t hungry. Marco knew that Eren had barely eaten anything this past week — thanks to Hannes — and locked himself up in his room, crying all day long. For each day that passed it became only more and more visible that Eren was exhausted. Until…

 

Eren was having P.E that morning. It had been two weeks since the Opening Ceremony. School had been easy for Eren, because he was a prince he had been educated to know almost everything about the humans’ curriculum. He wasn’t a genius or intelligent as his older sister or Armin, but he was a hard worker, and had a knack for memorising and then try to understand the concept. But that morning he had been feeling sluggish.

 

The sun was blazing hot that day, and the P.E teacher, Keith Shadis, had made the freshmen run laps around the field. Normally Eren wouldn’t have any problems with it, but since the morning he hadn’t been feeling very good. He was unusually pale and short on breath. Even his friends that he had managed to befriend — Connie Springer, Sasha Blouse, Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover —  had tried to persuade him to sit-out from class today. But he only said he was okay and participated.

 

It was hot. Unbearable hot. His head was spinning. He wanted water. He wanted to lie down. He wanted to sleep and let this headache pass. He couldn’t get enough oxygen to his lungs. His vision blacked and the last thing Eren remembered was seeing the green grass and his worried friends run to him, but he couldn’t hear anything they were saying. Then he passed out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Levi had been skipping class and was hiding behind some bushes near the field, lying on a picnic blanket — of course he wouldn’t be lying down on the dirty ground. He heard a commotion come from the field, normally he wouldn’t care but something told him he should go look. He stood up and walked to the field, he could see the freshmen were having P.E. Surely it was someone who had been injured, he thought. Until he came nearer and could see a familiar chestnut brown hair lying on the ground, surrounded by classmates as he saw the teacher run to the place. Now rushing, he pushed himself between all those sweaty bodies, what he saw then was almost broke his heart, a sickly pale Eren, who was barely breathing, was lying on the ground.

 

Levi acted fast and lifted the brunet up in his arms, rushing to give the boy medical attention to the nurse’s office. Levi thought that Eren barely weighted anything and he was much skinnier than he had been two weeks ago. In his peripheral vision, Levi could see Erwin, Hanji and Marco catching up to him.

 

“What happened to the young prince?!” Marco asked hysterically. Not noticing the slip up on Eren’s title.

 

_‘The young prince?’_ Levi, Hanji and Erwin thought. Erwin thought:

 

_‘Holy shit! Is he a prince of the merpeople? That is much bigger than meeting a normal merman. What have you got yourself mixed into Levi?’_

 

“He seems to have passed out during P.E”, Levi answered evenly, not letting his real feelings seep out in his voice.

 

“It’s your fault”, Marco blurted out and Hanji stumbled at his cold voice, “Because what you did two weeks ago, Eren hasn’t been eating and only crying in his room. Now he can’t trust anyone except his friends. He really trusted you but you had stomp on it and crush it before his eyes. For that neither will I or his family forgive you. And I’m sure if his older sister hears this, she will come and try to kill you and take Eren back home.”

 

Levi felt coldness seep in his body. Eren had trusted him, and he had crushed it himself. Making the boy stop functioning and trust others. Could he ever atone for this? Would Eren ever forgive him? Would he have a chance to even apologize before Eren was taken away?

 

They reached the nurse’s office, scaring the nurse when they bursted through the door but she collected herself immediately when she saw Levi carrying Eren. She ordered the raven to place him on a bed and she hooked the boy to an IV, and checked him. She also took his temperature.

 

“He is suffering from malnutrition and sleep deprivation, he also has a fever. We should let him rest for now but when he wakes up I will call his guardian so he can be picked up. He is in no condition to walk home by himself.”

 

The nurse then left the teens in the office, watching the youngest of them sleep. Marco stepped closer to Eren and sat down on the stool beside the bed and caressed his hair and face. Smiling sadly at the boy he saw as his baby brother and murmured.

 

“You really do bottle everything up until it explodes, don’t you little prince? Always. Ever since you were little, you didn’t want to worry anyone and always hid everything from everyone so they wouldn’t know. Until you were so sick you couldn’t even get up, and worry everyone only more because they didn’t notice anything. You know… that’s also one of the reasons why your father, mother and Mikasa is so overprotective over you.”

 

Marco stood up again and pushed Eren’s bangs away, revealing the prince’s forehead, and leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Something everyone in Eren’s family did when they wished for him to get better. Turning around, Marco saw three teens who were feeling  uncomfortable to be standing in the room right now. He smiled a little at them.

 

“It is a family custom in Eren’s family”, he said as he walked to the door but remembered something, “Oh, if you are wondering what my and Eren’s relationship are, so are we childhood playmates and my older brother is engaged to his older sister, so we are practically family.”

 

He said and then walked to his class. Leaving a raven haired teen in shock.

 

“Well… that solves at least two mysteries about Eren…” Hanji said slowly. Eyeing the raven beside her, who was watching the sleeping boy. Wanting to cheer her friend up, Hanji opened her mouth but a hand grabbed her shoulder, looking behind her, she saw Erwin shake his head. They also left the office quietly, leaving the raven with the sleeping boy. Hoping that they can make up.

 

Levi sat down on the stool that Marco had occupied earlier and reached a hand out to Eren. Caressing his hair and face, Levi watched the boy sleep through the day — the nurse came once to unhook the IV from Eren. And continued to watch him till he saw the boy squirm, and soon opened his eyes. Surely wondering where he was.

 

“You’re in the nurse’s office.”

 

Eren’s eyes shifted to where Levi sat beside him, and raised himself quickly up, but felt the dizziness take over and almost fell of the bed, if Levi hadn’t grabbed his arm. Eren trashed against Levi’s grip, wanting to get away as far as possible from the raven. Levi didn’t let the boy do that and his grip only got firmer.

 

“What do you think you are doing, you bastard?!! Release me!!” Eren shouted as his eyes started to turn golden again.

 

Realizing that this only made the boy angrier, Levi released his grip, letting go of Eren’s hand.

 

“I am sorry.”

 

Eren stilled when he heard Levi. Disbelieving that he heard right.

 

“You are sorry?” Eren asked in a low voice, nearly whispering. Levi nodded.

 

“You think that by saying sorry that you will be forgiven?!” Eren bit out.

 

“You think I will forget everything because you are sorry? Because you think I will forgive you if you are sorry? Thinking if you’re sorry I will trust you again? Only to have it ripped out of me again?!”

 

Levi was shocked by the spoken words. It was true. He had thought that if he said that he was sorry, Eren will forgive him. He couldn’t say anything, frozen in place as Eren stood up from the bed. But didn’t get a long way before collapsing again. That broke Levi out of his frozen state as he rushed to Eren’s side again. Checking the boy's temperature, he was burning up.

 

Eren felt too weak to fight against Levi when the raven lifted him up in his arms. The familiar scent of Levi filled his nostrils as he was held securely in those strong arms.

 

_‘Why is he doing this? He doesn’t care about me, so why? He said it himself, so why now? Isn’t he like the other humans that only cares about themselves? Why do I feel so safe in these arms? Even if his apology was sincere, I am still angry at him. I want to forgive him but at the same time I don’t… Why are these feelings so confusing?’_ was Eren’s last thoughts as he fell asleep in the raven’s arms.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Levi ran all the way from school to his home, where he could treat Eren. Good for Levi and Eren so is Levi’s home near the school and the sea. The raven only had to run ten minutes with Eren in his arms till he reached his door and unlocked the door. He walked hastily through the wide living room and opened the door to his room. He placed Eren on the queen-sized bed that were near the window. And rushed to the bathroom to get a big bowl of water and two clean towels, one big and one small.

 

After filling the bowl with water and taking it and the two towels to his room and placed them on the bedside table. He proceeded to strip Eren of his clothes, until the boy was in his boxers. Levi cleaned the sweat off Eren’s body, and then clad the boy in one of his black pyjamas. It was much bigger on Eren than Levi because of their different sizes, Levi had to fold the sleeves and the pants a few times until it fit Eren somewhat. Going back to the bathroom to dump the dirty water in the sink, he then went to the freezer that was in the kitchen and filled a small plastic bag with ice.

 

At Eren’s side again the raven place the small towel on the boy’s forehead — so it wouldn’t be too cold — and placed the ice pack on it. Pulling the blanket over the sick boy and tucked him in, Levi walked into the living room as he fished out his phone from his pants’ pocket. Three rings went, then two more till the phone was answered.

 

“Hello! This is the owner of Wall Maria, Hannes. How can we be for help?”

 

“Hannes-san, this is Levi.”

 

A sigh was heard from the other end.

 

“Levi, no matter how many times you ask Eren doesn’t want to see you.”

 

“I am not calling for that this time. Eren fainted at school today.”

 

“WHAT?! IS HE OKAY? OR RATHER WHERE IS HE?”

 

Levi had to put a distance between his phone and ear, otherwise he thought he would go deaf if he hadn’t.

 

“Eren has a high fever and is malnourished. He is at my place because it was nearer. I have cleaned him and changed his clothes and I placed an ice pack on his forehead. I can’t do anything more until he wakes up. And I will force feed him if I have to.”

 

Hannes was quiet for awhile. Thinking if what Levi had said was really true. If he didn’t care for Eren then why was he willing to take care of him?

 

“Levi”, Hannes sighed, “Please tell me clearly… I heard what you had said about Eren, but is it really true? Did you really mean it?”

 

“I didn’t mean it…”, Levi replied quietly but Hannes heard it, “I was riled and said things I didn’t mean… I never in reality thought about Eren like that. And I hadn’t realized that he stood behind me. I wanted to apologize to him and I did today, but he only got angrier.”

 

Hannes heard a humorless laugh come from the raven. He thought that he is too old for being involved in teenage romance. He sighed again. His brother would kill him if he knew about this.

 

“I will leave Eren in your care till he gets better then. Bye.”

 

Levi listened to the beeping sound from his phone a while, he sighed and put it away. Walking to the fridge to pick out the ingredients for a light and easy to swallow meal for him and Eren. He put on an apron and started cooking.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren woke up, smelling something delicious, he tried to sit up but he couldn’t muster up any strenght and his head throbbed and his throat hurt, he also felt something cool on his forehead. Giving up on it, Eren started to gaze up at the ceiling, realizing that it wasn’t the one he was familiar with and his bed wasn’t also this big. He shifted in the bed and tried to look around the room — making the ice pack fall from his head.

 

It was painted in a dark blue color and covered with surfing posters. There was a closet door near the desk, where a laptop was and beside it a printer. There was a bookshelf beside the bedside table. Every piece of furniture was made of darkwood.

 

Hearing someone opening the door, Eren shifted his eyes to there, not believing what he saw. Thinking that he was imagining things, blinking several times hoping that the image of Levi leaning on the door would disappear. He saw the image Levi sigh.

 

“I’m real you know kid.”

 

Eren looked wide-eyed at Levi, who was wondering if the boy’s eyes could get bigger than that. Eren tried to speak but his throat really hurt and panicked when Levi came nearer him and shut his eyes tightly. He felt a cool hand on his forehead and then his upper body was lifted up. He was positioned to sit with his back against the headboard with a pillow supporting his back and head. He saw Levi pick up a glass of water and Eren could feel his dry throat wanting it. Levi placed the rim of the glass against Eren’s lips, controlling how much water the boy could get and so he wouldn’t drink too fast and choke. Eren greedily drank up the water but at a slow pace that frustrated him. When Eren was done, Levi placed the glass on the bedside table again.

 

“Where am I?” Eren rasped out, avoiding to look at the raven directly.

 

“Don’t you remember fainting at school?”

 

The raven sighed. Eren nodded, he remembers that he fainted during P.E and that he woke up at the nurse’s office. And that Levi had said that he was sorry and that he had tried to leave but collapsed and then blacked out again when Levi lifted him up.

 

“Where am I?” Eren tried to ask again.

 

“You’re at my house, since it was nearer than the inn. By the way, Hannes-san put you in my care until you get better.”

 

“What?”

 

Eren asked and made a move to rise up from the bed but stumbled forward instead. But instead of his head meeting the floor, it thumped into a wide chest. Levi had reacted fast and used his body to catch the falling boy.   
  


“Careful now”, murmured in that deep voice and Eren shut his eyes tight as he felt that familiar heat creep up his face. He placed his hands on the raven’s arms and tried to push himself away from Levi. His arms was weak and he couldn’t move away. Levi sighed and placed Eren back in the sitting position he was in earlier. The boy looked dazed, thinking that Eren should eat now before he falls asleep Levi stood up and walked to the kitchen to bring back a tray with hot food, medicine and more water.

 

Being too weak to feed himself and fight against the raven Eren let Levi feed him the porridge with herbs. But when he couldn’t eat anymore Levi forced him to continue to eat until the bowl was empty. Then it was only the medicine left, Eren had already starting to nod off and couldn’t swallow the pill, which left Levi no choice if he wanted Eren to get better. Levi placed the pill in Eren’s mouth and took the water glass and filled his own mouth with it. He opened the boy’s mouth, who was looking very dazed now, and leaned down to place his lips against those pink ones and let the water flow from his mouth down Eren’s throat, taking the pill with it.

 

Levi placed the boy on his back again and tucked him in. Eren was already asleep, sleeping soundly and unaware of the world around him. Levi watched the boy’s face, he placed a hand on one of those tan cheeks, tracing all of Eren’s features. His fingers stopped at those pink and plump lips, tracing them more slowly, then he touched his own.

 

“I am so fucked…”, Levi whispered as he leaned down and placed his lips on Eren’s, giving the boy a chaste kiss. He took off his clothes but left his boxers on — normally he would sleep naked  but not when he had someone over, he also didn’t want to scare Eren too much in the morning — and creeped over the sleeping boy and under the covers. He could see Eren’s revealed collarbones because the pajamas was too big on the boy. Levi scooped up the sleeping brunet in his arms, he thought that Eren smelt like the ocean and fell asleep for the first time so easily in year and not be awake due to his insomnia.

 

_‘Fuck. I have to explain this to Petra. Fuck, I will think of something in the morning.’_

 

Unconsciously Levi tightened his arms around Eren, feeling the heat from the boy warm him up better than the covers.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Feeling something warm and firm surrounding him, Eren yawned as he slowly opened his eyes. Shocked to see a pale chest before his eyes. He tried to tilt his head up, hoping not to see what he thought he would see. Eren almost shrieked when he saw Levi’s face. One of the raven’s arm was around Eren’s waist, the other one was the one Eren had used as his pillow for the night. The covers barely covering Levi, it only hung around the raven’s waist, making Eren be able to see every part of Levi’s body.

 

Eren tried to shift away from Levi but the raven tightened his grip on Eren’s waist, keeping the boy near him as his eyebrows furrowed in his sleep. It softened when Eren stilled, sighing and remembering he had to be at Levi’s house until he got better. His throat didn’t hurt as much as it did yesterday, but his head still hurt and his eyes were teary. He tried to remember what had happened after he had nearly fallen off the bed, again.

 

Eren remembers that he got fed by Levi — also forcely when he couldn’t eat anymore — and after that his memories started to get fuzzy. He remember being told to swallow the medicine pill but couldn’t because he was feeling too weak to even stay awake, then… he was sure he felt something soft connect with his lips and feeling the pill placed in his mouth flow down with water, and then he thought that he saw Levi’s face in front of his as he automatically swallowed the rest of the water.

 

_‘It couldn’t be…’_ , Eren thought as he felt his cheeks burn and shook his head, _'No, nonono! It can't be... He.. he couldn’t have… or could he?'_

 

Eren thought it was impossible. It couldn’t have been Levi’s lips he had felt when he swallowed that water. Because that would mean the raven took his first kiss. Honestly so had he wanted his first kiss to be with Levi, but that was before two weeks ago and before he knew the raven had a girlfriend. Eren continued to deny that his first kiss had been stolen by the raven haired surfer that didn’t let go off him and continued to hold him in place.

 

Shifting and squirming out of Levi’s grasp, Eren could finally get off the bed, and try to find his clothes and then make his escape back to Wall Maria. Keyword: try. Before he even could get off the bed, a hand grabbed his waist and he was pulled back on the bed. His back met the mattress and Eren slowly looked up to see a scowling Levi above him.

 

“What do you think you are doing, you brat?” the raven asked in a threatening voice, sending a shiver through Eren’s spine as he stared at the raven above him.

 

“I-I was t-trying to g-go home…” Eren stuttered and tried to only look at Levi’s face.

 

“You still have a fever and have probably caught a cold too. You surely are still too weak to even stand up.” Levi chided the younger teen and added:

 

“And you do remember that you will have to stay here until you are healthy again?”

 

Eren vaguely remember Levi mentioning that yesterday and meekly nodded. Even if he didn’t like the raven so much anymore, so didn’t he want to cause any trouble for his uncle. So he would let Levi take care of him, if it meant less trouble for Hannes.

 

Levi felt refreshed for the first time in a long time. He had never slept this long before without waking up and having a hard time falling asleep again. Even when he and Petra slept in the same bed so had he never been able to sleep this well. If that didn’t say anything about what he felt for the boy then nothing would. But that led to the problem how he should tell Petra this.

 

Like, ‘Hey Petra, you know what? I never loved you I just assumed I did and now that I really am in love with a boy two years younger than us, and to boot we met like two weeks ago’, if he did he would seriously hurt Petra. He knew that he didn’t love Petra with any romantic feelings, they were more like… what he felt for a family member. Yeah, that’s right. That’s what he felt towards Petra, she was like a friend who was like a family member, like a sister.

 

Levi would climb that mountain as soon as possible, but now his main priority was to take care of Eren — and try to mend things between them. The raven then remembered that he was still above the sick boy, who was futilely squirming again. He thought that he really liked the view like this. Eren under him, on his bed, squirming and looking at him with those big caribbean eyes.

 

The older male moved away from the squirming brunet and stood up from the bed, stretching his back and arm muscles. He felt dirty and wanted to take a bath, but remembering that he only had cleaned Eren with a towel, he turned around and glared at the boy. Who was heaving himself up in a sitting position and stared at Levi with a ‘What’s your problem?’ look.

 

“I don’t care if you are ill or not but you will take a fucking bath even if I have to bath you myself to wash off that fucking sweat.”

 

Eren looked taken aback. That was why Levi glared at him? Because he was sweaty? Now he really considered why he had fallen for this person in the beginning. But dreaded at the thought of taking a bath and especially if Levi would wash him. He knew that he was too weak to maintain his human form in his current state, and he absolutely didn’t want to transform into a merman before Levi. No. Absolutely. Fucking. Way.

 

Eren shook his head furiously and gestured with his hand that the raven didn’t have to wash him and he was perfectly capable to do it himself.

 

“Y-you don’t have to! I can wash myself perfectly fine!”

 

Levi didn’t believe him but let the boy do what he wanted.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Because Levi let Eren do as he pleased and let the boy bath by himself, which is why Eren is finding himself in this situation.

 

Entering the bathroom and locking the door behind him, so Levi can’t get in. Stripping himself of the too big pajamas, and put it in the hamper. Eren walked to the already filled bathtub — thanking God that Levi had decided to go bath first — with warm water and suds. But as soon as Eren dipped his feet in the water, his legs got replaced with his fin and he slid into the bathtub with a big SPLASH, alerting Levi — who was in the kitchen preparing their breakfast — and made the raven come furiously knocking on the door asking if he was alright. Which of course Eren answered with a loud “YES!”.

 

Now Eren’s fin was hanging over the edge of the tub, dripping water. He knew that he was too weak to maintain his human form in water now that he was sick, but he hadn’t realized that it was this bad.

 

_‘I should really hurry up and get better.’_ Eren thought as he washed his hair meticulously. Eren had to stretch to reach where Levi had placed the body wash. He washed his torso, but he was more careful with his fin, it was a little more sensitive to touches because it would be easier to hunt in the water when it felt the vibrations from the other water beings.

 

Eren hummed as he washed himself and sung quietly to himself.

 

_‘A melody woven by the roar of the sea_

_is being filled with all of your thoughts._

_Just close your eyes tight..._

_And gather the message that"s_

_been drawn out of stardust_

_and engraved it in your heart._

_The things I fully believe are what make me the strongest.’_

 

Eren didn’t realize it but he had raised his voice to sing a little louder.

 

_‘Splash Dream!_

_A prayer like an arrow_

_revolves about the seven seas with distinctly clear love, striking people where it goes._

_Splash Dream!_

_I can see the splash dream within my eyes!_

_I want to only protect this love, so I"ll sacrifice everything for it._

_I want to know about the twisted thread_

_that guides people to their futures_

_and learn of it"s universal truth._

_I’ve been searching for the meaning since I was born._

_But the answer_

_was in my hand this entire time._

_Living is what it means to love.’_

 

Levi was in the kitchen when he heard singing come from the bathroom. It was a happy song. He could hear it from the melody but he couldn’t make out the words. He started to walk towards the bathroom slowly.

 

_‘Splash Dream!_

_Escaping from the aquarium,_

_even if a harsh wind blows at me, I"ll still sing in unison of my blessings_

_Splash Dream!_

_The splash dream I want to dive in!_

_Embracing all hopes makes love glow the brightest._

_Splash Dream!_

_I"ll aim for paradise_

_And kick around in the waves barefoot, as I entrust the waves with my tears._

_Splash Dream!_

_A big wave loudly ringing out with love!_

_It will echo eternally in song, and it"s echo is love.’_

Singing calmed him down and Eren thought of everything that happened. Realizing that he had been too hardheaded when the raven tried to apologize these two weeks. He contemplated to forgive Levi. But he wanted to first talk about it with the surfer.  

 

_‘Splash Dream!_

_A prayer like an arrow_

_revolves about the seven seas with distinctly clear love, striking people where it goes._

_Splash Dream!_

_I can see the splash dream within my eyes!_

_I want to only protect this love, so I"ll sacrifice everything for it.’_

The song had stopped when Levi reached the bathroom door. He tried to open the door, but much to his annoyance. He knocked on the door. Startling Eren who was heaving himself up of the tub and his hand slipped. He fell with a loud thud on his back on the floor, his fin in the air and arched over him.

 

“Owww”, the merman mumbled.

 

“Oi, are you alright brat?” the raven was furiously knocking on the door when he heard the thud. Hoping that the brunet hadn’t hurt himself. If the kid didn’t answer him soon he would break this door down to get inside. He also said it, alarming the boy who visible paled at that outcome.

 

“I am okay! I just stumbled a little!”

 

Eren dragged himself to the hair dryer — that he had been wise enough to leave on the tiles, and luckily so was the tiles super clean — and started to dry his fin, but with a low warmth, burnt scales didn’t smell so good. Sigh of relief escaped from the merman’s lips as he saw his scales slowly disappear and his legs forming. When his lower body was fully human, Eren slowly stood up but his head spun and he fell again. This time not having the strength to even answer Levi when the raven asked if he was okay. Laying on the floor, he heard the door make noise and he saw Levi at the frame. The raven rushed to his side and scooped the boy up in his arms.

 

Eren was so out of it that he didn’t even notice that he was completely naked in front of Levi. The raven carefully lifted the brunet up, cradling his head against his chest. Levi carefully dried Eren and clad the boy in a light blue pajamas this time.

 

The raven saw something shining near the bathtub and tried to reach it while still having Eren in his arms. Taking the object in his hand Levi was surprised to see an exactly similar scale that he has.          

 

    

 

 

    

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Splash Dream


	4. Chapter 3

# Chapter 3: Star Jewel

 

After putting Eren on the bed again — dry and dressed, but the light blue pajama had been dirty much to Levi’s dismay and had to change Eren’s clothes again — and tucked the boy in, Levi was examining the green scale. He still had his in the small container around his neck, he examined his older scale. They were exactly the same, except the size, his was a little smaller than the one he found. The same green color, the same shape and the same breathtaking sight — he could have Hanji to examine the scales and see if the DNA too is the same, which it surely is.

 

The only difference was, how he got these scales. The older one he had gotten from the merman, and the other and newer one he had found on his bathroom floor near the tub. But it hadn't been there when he was in the bath. The scale had appeared after Eren had used the bath.

 

_‘It is too coincidental to be a coincidence. And it would explain those sounds when he was in the bath, when he touched the water he got his fin and that led to him falling into the tub. And when he was going to get out of the tub he couldn’t just step out to it because he didn’t have any legs and his hand must have slipped which led to that thud.’_

 

Levi was now certain that Eren was the merman from his childhood, but he didn’t want the boy to realize it yet. Knowing that the merman, who was his first love, whose human form was or is his second love is too good to be true.

 

_‘Those things only happens in fairytales… but considering that Eren also should only exist in a fairytale it isn’t too unexpected’_ , Levi thought as he leaned down to place a kiss on Eren’s forehead and whispered.

 

“Sweet dreams, little merman prince.”

 

Levi only thought that because it suited the situation that Eren was a merman prince, but he didn’t know how true he was when he said that. The raven watched Eren sleep peacefully in his bed, thinking that he is surely the only one, after the boy’s family — and Marco — that has seen Eren sleep like this. Watching the boy’s regular breathing, and calm face, Levi finally got to remember how the boy looked when he was younger, and to know how his savior and friend looked like in the present. But when he thought of a younger Eren — which he remembers clearly now — he noted that the merman didn’t change much despite it had been ten years.

 

_'Now I just have to do "that". And the sooner the better.'_

 

 

* * *

 

 

After being sure that Eren would be asleep for an hour or two, hopefully, Levi ventured out. He was going to a café in downtown. To meet Petra.

 

Arriving five minutes before the determined time, Levi ordered a coffee, black, at the counter and chose a table in the corner to people watch. People were rushing to work or school — Levi didn't have to be at school because he had to take care of Eren, and he was surprisingly an honor student — and coming in and out of the café to buy coffee.

 

Five minutes had passed and Levi saw Petra step inside the café. Her amber eyes searched for him and located him at the table. Walking directly towards him, she didn’t even stop to buy something to drink, a smile wasn’t adorning her face as it always was when she saw Levi. Her lips were drawn into a line, she wasn’t frowning but kept her face neutral. Like she knew why Levi had called her here.

 

She took the stool in front of Levi and sat down at the table. The raven nodded at her as a greeting and she nodded back. No greetings or smiles were exchanged like they would do before.

 

“Why did you call me here?” Petra stated bluntly.

 

Levi wasn’t fazed at all. One of the reasons why he dated Petra was because she is smart and perceptive, like him but not as good. The raven put his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers and leaned his chin on them, and kept his pokerface on.

 

“Why do you think I did?” he asked the strawberry-blonde calmly.

 

Petra felt her eye twitch as her anger almost burst out of her. She managed to quench her feelings. The girl wanted to scream at the raven that he was heartless even if she knew that he wasn’t, she wanted to blame the green-blue eyed boy who is stealing her boyfriend from her, that he must have seduced the raven to leave her. But she knew that the boy wouldn’t do that, she had seen the boy ignoring and avoiding the raven these past two weeks, how he shouted at the raven in the infirmary. But… when she saw Levi lose his cool at the collapsing and sick boy, she realized that his feelings towards her wasn’t the love she thought it was. Her boyfriend had never lost his cool like that when he was with her, but when she saw the boy in her boyfriend’s arms she didn’t feel sorry for the boy for being sick and weak. She thought that he deserved it, that he should just continue be sick and soon enough disappear from her and Levi’s life, then the raven would love her and only her. But Petra knew that it wouldn’t happen. She knew that Levi wouldn’t turn to her if Eren disappeared, it was just an illusion, a happy one. For her.

 

“Is it about that boy?” she asked with a little venom in her voice.

 

Levi raised a thin eyebrow at the tone in Petra’s voice, knowing that she already kind of knew why he called her here.

 

“It doesn’t really have anything to do with Eren, only a little.”

 

Levi kept his tone calm and observed the strawberry-blonde in front of him. How her shoulders tensed up, her furrowed brows and lips kept in a line, and the light shaking, likely from anger or sadness, if not both.

 

A small hand slammed against the table — luckily they were currently the only customers in the café — and the raven calmly looked up at the furious girl, as she kept shaking from feelings and panted harshly.

 

“It… it has nothing to do with him?! It has nothing to do with him?!!” Petra almost shouted as she glared at the raven, who was still calmly observing her.

 

“Don’t say it has nothing to do with him!! It has everything to do with him! If only he hadn’t appeared we could still be happy together! But no~! You just have to care more for a boy that you haven’t known more than two weeks?! More than your damn girlfriend who you have dated for two years?!!”

 

Petra slumped back onto the chair, tired from shouting and pouring out all her feelings. The stress and insecurity she had felt, since their senior year started, finally left her heart and all she could feel the dreadful climax of this conversation.

 

Levi let out a sigh, he knew that he had made Petra feel insecure. And he was glad that she finally said her feelings out loud to him, instead of just watching from the sideline and push in as a player when it suited her.

 

“Yes, you may be right. But if I hadn’t met him I would have surely hurt you in the future if I realized what my love for you is then. And then it would have hurt you a greater amount than now.”

 

Petra sighed too, knowing that Levi was stating the truth.

 

“So… what are your feelings for me?” she asked the unavoidable question.

 

“The love I feel for you is like I would feel for a friend, a friend that is close to me as my family, like a family member but not including that blood relationship. If I put it to words, I would say like a cousin or sister.”

 

The girl felt her heart flutter at the thought of Levi feeling so comfortable around her but also disappointed that all he saw her as was like a sister. Ever since she first saw the surfer in their first year, she developed a small crush on him which grew bigger for each passing day. The happiest day for her had been when Levi asked her if she wanted to go out with him. Her crush turned into love the more she got to know the raven. But she also realized that Levi didn’t love her as much she loved him. Because she always watched him, Petra noticed her boyfriend gazing over the ocean longingly, like there was something or someone he wanted see. And the scale he always had with him, one time when she tried to touch it Levi got angry at her but soon apologized. It was something very dear to him Petra concluded but no matter how many times she asked where he got it her boyfriend would never answer her.

 

“I knew it…” she mumbled. Petra stood up and looked at Levi, who was still sitting.

 

“And because you know you’ve been a jerk, you will let me end it, right? So it wouldn’t hurt me further.”

 

Levi nodded at Petra’s statement. The strawberry blonde smiled, but the sadness showed on her face.

 

“Well it will be a good story for people that I dumped the super popular and handsome surfer Levi.” she said as she turned around and walked to the door, hiding the escaping tears from her now ex-boyfriend.

 

“Good bye Levi.”

 

“Good bye Petra.”

 

Levi lowered his head, letting the sadness sweep over him. He knew it was inevitable, but he wished he wouldn’t have had to hurt Petra. But also knowing that someday someone will come and love her more than he ever did. Then she would be surely be able to see their time together as a fond but also sad memory of their youth.

 

He drank up his coffee — somewhat still warm — and walked out. Once he stepped out he saw Petra and a guy from their year comforting her. The guy also had an undercut but dirty-blond hair, he seemed to admire Levi and imitated the raven, but everyone else knew it was because he wanted impress his crush, who was Levi’s ex-girlfriend.

 

_‘It seems like she doesn’t have to wait so long after all’_ , Levi thought as he walked away.

 

Walking home, to where Eren was, hopefully still asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Where is this? It is cold in here._

_I looked around and saw that I was in a cave in the ocean._

_Ah. Now I remember… this is the cave that my former classmates from the school for merkids in Shiganshina left me in when I was seven. They didn’t believe me when I said humans exists and that I met a human child… they played a prank on me and saying that they found a shipwreck and asked me if we could explore together. But they lied. They led me to a reef full of sharks and then left me there. I was lucky to find an underwater cave small enough for the sharks to not reach me._

_I was cold and hungry that day. I felt betrayed by my fellow “classmates” — but if they had known that I am the prince of Shiganshina they wouldn’t have dared to try anything like this. It is a secret until I turn twelve, apparently._

_I waited for hours for someone to find me but no one came. No matter how I wished for someone to show up and come and help me, no one came. I thought of that human child, Levi, again._

_After waiting for another hour, I finally gathered enough courage to try and escape this death reef. I slowly swam to the entrance of the cave, careful so that the sharks couldn’t attack me. Luckily they were just swimming in circles a little under the surface but high enough for me to swim away undetected, hopefully._

_But unfortunately I wasn't so lucky. A shark saw me after I had swum like three meters away from the cave, and started to chase me. I was glad that I was one of the fastest swimmers in Shiganshina even if I was the youngest of them. Because I could keep the little distance that existed between the shark and me._

_The shark though, was smarter than it seemed. It quickly turned around and used its fin to smack me against a rock on my right side. I let out a scream as my small body connected with the rock, all air slipping out of my lungs. I lied there, on the cold ocean floor, gasping for air as the shark neared me and opened its big mouth with its big and sharp teeth that could easily rip me apart._

**_‘I wished upon a shooting star_ **

**_that I’d find the seven pearlescent points of light._ **

**_Like a jeweled star that had been separated from them_ **

**_I’d believe in the bonds called, "Fate".’_ **

_That familiar voice reached my ears as the shark started twisting in pain from the song._

**_‘I've thawed myself from that icy cold wave and don’t know where my tears lie._ **

**_Without anyone noticing, I silently vanish away into bubbles._ **

**_I'm looking for that lost item of mine as my heart aches._ **

**_Engulfed in the green rain, I continue singing my song for you.’_ **

_I saw a familiar figure swim above and reached their hands for me. Their also green fin landed gently at my side and scooped me up in their strong but yet thin and pale arms._

**_‘If a newly born morning were to come_ **

**_I’d want to live the same life again._ **

**_We’d meet again by fate and everything_ **

**_would become jeweled, and I’d believe in miracles.’_ **

_Their hands gently took my face in their hands and caressed my cheeks. I felt tears flow down my eyes as I felt the relief of my sisters voice gently wrap around me._

**_‘When I opened my heart, something popped up._ **

**_"I’ve gotten this far on my own, so I must be strong."_ **

**_If the precious item I’m looking for would notice me, surely seasons would revolve like normal._ **

**_Engulfed in the green rain, I continue singing my song for you.’_ **

_I thought that my sister looked the most beautiful when she was singing or when she was with her fiancé, Miguel. She smiled at me, the relief showing on her face._

**_‘I wished upon a shooting star_ **

**_that I’d find the seven pearlescent points of light._ **

**_Like a jeweled star that had been separated from them_ **

**_I’d believe in the bonds called, "Fate".’_ **

_Mikasa was seven years older than me and used to or still is babying me when she can. I can’t say that I hate it, and especially in this situation. I let my eyelids fall shut as I let my sister lull me to sleep. Rocking me to side to side like she always did when I was younger and took a nap._

**_‘If the precious item I’m looking for would notice me, surely seasons would revolve like normal._ **

**_Engulfed in the green rain, I continue singing my song for you._ **

****

**_If a newly born morning were to come_ **

**_I'd want to live the same life again._ **

**_We'd meet again by fate and everything_ **

**_would become jeweled, and I'd believe in miracles.’_ **

_The last thing I saw before I let the darkness take me was my older sister’s beautiful smile…_

 

* * *

 

 

Caribbean green eyes opened at the sound of a door closing. Eren blinked a few times to drive the sleep away from his head. He felt groggy and dizzy. He peered around him, he was again in Levi's room on the bed. He saw the raven slumped down against the door, having an unreadable expression on his pale face. Eren tried to sit up but he felt too weak, he turned his head and stared weakly at the raven, who didn't notice that the brunet was awake.

 

The merman tried again and this time he got up in a sitting position, he slowly placed his feet on the floor and gingerly stood up. He walked like a newborn calf to the door where Levi was.

 

The surfer hadn't noticed him yet, too lost in his own world to realize the nearing and weak boy walking towards him. That is, till he felt a small and warm hand pat his head gently. Levi peered up and saw Eren's flushed face and glazed eyes from the fever. It looked like the boy was barely able to stand as his legs were shaking, probably from the exertion. Taking hold on the feverish hand and using a little strength, Levi was able to pull Eren to sit between his legs and embraced the boy, almost hiding the smaller male with his large body. Levi put his head on top of the brunet’s, making so that Eren had his face under Levi’s chin, his arms were around the boy’s small frame and he tightened the grip when he felt him move, making the brunet to still.

 

“Levi-san…?” the boy whispered quietly. Waiting for a response from the raven.

 

“.....”

 

“Levi-san?” he said a little louder and felt the raven tightening his embrace on him further.

 

Eren felt his face heat up, and this time it was not from the fever, and tried to rack his head for an idea to make the older male let him go. He went with one of the most clichés excuses.

 

“Levi-san… I have to go to the toilet…” he said shyly, because if he thought about it, he hadn’t gone since yesterday in the morning before he left for school.

 

And now that he realized it, when he felt his bare legs touch Levi’s jeans, that he was only wearing a big t-shirt, making it seem like he was wearing a nightgown, he wasn’t even wearing underwear! Normally Eren wouldn’t mind go commando, especially when he was at the inn and was wearing trousers, because then he wasn't wearing anything that would show people... his private parts... But this shirt Levi put on him only reached his mid-thighs and he could feel the cold air down there.

 

"You just have to keep holding it in then." The raven murmured, not wanting to let go of the boy.

 

Eren started squirming again, wanting the raven to let him go so he can go to the bathroom. In the process of trying to get free from the embrace, Eren's shirt had lifted up a bit and was barely covering his ass, and of course the boy himself hadn't noticed it but Levi certainly had. Levi thought that Eren’s butt looked really soft and smooth, and round.

 

The raven let the boy go, who immediately tugged the way too big shirt down and weakly glared at the male who was still blocking the door so he couldn’t go to the bathroom and relieve himself. He squirmed in place, trying to hold it in. Levi thought that at this rate Eren would surely wet himself and took pity on the boy and stood up, making way for the door for Eren, who rushed out and into the bathroom and locked the door.

 

Finally being able to relieve himself Eren let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t have wanted to wet himself in front of Levi, it was too embarrassing, and he was a teenager for crying out loud! Only small kids wet themselves!

 

After letting all out in the loo, Eren let the shirt he had on flutter down so it covered him again, he proceeded to wash his hands with water and soap — and thank God that he didn’t turn into a merman because of it — and dried his hands on the towel beside the sink. As he dried his hands, Eren was thinking:

 

_‘I have to ask Levi-san what happened after my bath and if I can borrow some underwear.’_

 

He opened the door of the bathroom still in his thoughts, and ran into a solid wall — which was Levi — and fell backwards on his butt. He looked up and saw Levi staring at him. Eren looked down and gasped as he flushed and once again tugged the shirt down, luckily enough he had his legs bent so it had protected him from the raven’s gaze.

 

Levi smirked a little as he lifted the reluctant boy up by his armpits and dusted away the non-existent dirt on him. The boy refused to look at him, and gripped the end of the shirt hard. He peeked slightly at the raven, who raised his eyebrow as encouragement for Eren to ask his question.

 

“D-do you have s-some u-underwear I-I can b-borrow…?” the boy whispered and continued to reddening up to his ears and neck as he still looked down.

 

Now that he knew that Eren was his merman from childhood Levi decided to tease the boy a little and gripped the merman’s chin gently with his right hand and made the big caribbean eyes meet his silver-blue ones.

 

“Is that how you ask for a favor? Hmmm… Eren.” The raven said in his husky voice as his left and caressed the boy’s cheek and then the nape and let it slid down until it was on the boys underwearless butt and squeezed the supple ass, making the boy become scarlet and stared wide-eyed at him. He then smacked the ass lightly making the brunet squeal.

 

“Kyaaaaa!!”

 

“Y-y-y-y-you!” Eren spluttered. He was red as a tomato now as he stared dumbfounded at Levi who was laughing quietly in his hand, shaking from the restrained laughter.

 

Levi grasped Eren’s hand and tugged the boy into his room again and went to his closet to search for some underwear for Eren. He found a pair of old boxers that he had bought, when he still was in junior high before his growth spurt, but never used them because they became sizes too small. Levi gave the light green boxers to Eren who was still red as a tomato. The raven was honestly amused that Eren was embarrassed now when he wasn't that first school day. When the boy only was dressed in a towel and had changed in front of him.

 

Eren took the boxers shyly from Levi’s grasp and turned around to put them on. He didn’t know why he was so embarrassed but he just was. His shyness is clouded by sleep in the mornings that’s why he is so bold and can walk only in a towel and change in front of people without care, but when he hasn’t just woken up he does care a little, at least enough to not strip in front of strangers, except when he has P.E. in school.

 

Looking if the raven was staring at him as he put on the boxers, Eren tilted his head a bit and peeked at the raven, who was polite enough to turn his back to the boy, letting Eren put on the underwear in peace. The boxers were just the right fit for him and were glad that Levi had those. Though… Eren wondered why the black haired teen had underwear that seemed sizes too small for the surfer’s built body. He shrugged it off and turned to see Levi staring at him.

 

“Do they fit?” the older teen asked and Eren nodded, finally feeling comfortable now that he was wearing some underwear that protected his under body from the cold air.

 

Levi signaled for the brunet to follow him and they walked through the door again to the kitchen, where something was boiling on the stove. Eren sniffed the air but couldn’t smell anything because of his congested nose. He sulked a bit because for mermen their sense of smell is important in hunting and detecting enemies.

 

Levi glanced at the boy from the corner of his eye, noticing the slight sulking expression as he walked to the cabinet and took out two deep bowls, spoons and two glasses. He set the cutlery and bowls on his round dinner table and took a boiler patch to place in the middle and took the pot from the stove and put it on the boiler patch. He made Eren sit down on the chair nearest the bathroom — in case the boy had to use it because he still has a high fever — and scooped a good amount of the chicken soup in the bowl and added some chili to it. Levi did the same for himself except the lesser amount of chili in his soup, he wasn’t sick so his sense of taste was still intact. The same couldn’t be said for Eren.

 

Eren waited for Levi to sit back down on his chair, that was to the right of the brunet, before he would try eating. The merman honestly didn’t feel hungry, but Levi had gone through the trouble of cooking the soup and didn’t want the raven’s work to go to waste, so Eren waited for Levi taking his spoon before Eren himself took a small amount of the soup from his bowl. He put it in his mouth but he couldn’t taste the spices that the older male used, even if he could feel a burning sensation on his tongue but shrugged it off of the soup being too hot. It felt very weird to eat food but not taste anything, it even annoyed Eren a bit. Eren ate all his soup and politely declined when Levi asked if he wanted more.

 

Now with a full stomach the boy was given the medicine. Which was downed immediately with the help of a glass water. Eren felt his sore throat to hurt a little less, and he could somewhat breath through his nose now. But he was feeling very tired and wanted to sleep again. He started to nod off as he stared at the eating surfer, thinking what an amazing appetite the raven has. Levi was eating neatly and fast even though he had his bowl full of soup. That was something Eren knew he couldn't do no matter how many etiquette lessons he took.

 

Levi got up and took his and Eren's bowls to the sink, and would wash them later, and without saying anything he lifted Eren up in his arms. Making the boy lean his head on his broad chest.

 

Eren yelped as he was lifted, surprised by Levi's action. He felt the raven's right arm under his knees and the left one was supporting his shoulders, making his head lean on the raven's chest. If it was on purpose or not Eren couldn't tell, but it felt nice and safe. Kind of like when he was just floating in the water, letting the small and weak currents drift his body somewhere. Eren was falling asleep again, but thought that the last thing he saw was tender-looking silver-blue eyes on him, full of care.

 

_‘I must be hallucinating.’_

 

 

* * *

 

 

When Eren fell asleep, Levi placed the boy once again in his bed. He thought of when he touched the boy’s ass, liking the feeling of the round and soft yet firm ass. If he hadn’t had so much self-control that he has, he would have touched the boy more, making the blue-green eyed beauty moan and writhing under his hands. Levi felt a shiver run through his spine just by the thought. He wanted to see Eren’s eyes glazed over with something else than a fever, he wanted to be the reason why the boy flushed and was breathing hard. He wanted to be Eren’s first in everything. And he certainly had been the first one to kiss the boy, that he was sure of.

 

Levi laid down beside Eren on the bed and once again scooped the boy up in his arms, not caring if he himself got sick. He just wanted to touch Eren. Being apart for ten years and then knowing his first love has finally come to live where he was did that to him, he wanted assurance that Eren really was here. He was so near the boy yet also so far, he had hurt his most precious person and didn’t know how Eren saw him now. A friend? An asshole? A heartless bastard? No, Eren wouldn’t think of him as heartless, Levi knew the boy was too kind for that and he was also the only one who has seen Levi cry, even if he was a kid at that time. Eren couldn’t view him as a love interest, or could he? Levi was frustrated by his thoughts.

 

_‘Even if I think about it I can’t come up with some conclusions, The only thing I managed to do was to confuse myself more. Nothing can be solved before I and Eren talk about it, when he isn’t sick that is.’_

 

Satisfied with his thoughts, Levi deemed himself worth a nap and snuggled closer to Eren like an overgrown black cat. **(A/N: more like an overgrown panther if you ask me...)** And reveled in the warmth the boy naturally emitted and caught the scent of the ocean and sunshine and something sweet. Levi closed his eyes, happy that he finally found his merman.

 

_‘He is mine and only my merman prince’_ Was the happy thought that rang through Levi’s head before he also nodded off to LaLa-Land, with Eren in his arms.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A few days passed before Eren was well enough to go back to school, fortunately it was still Saturday and he still had Sunday to enjoy, especially now when he finally had recovered from his cold. But he still had to live with Levi until Monday. Eren pouted at that, it wasn’t like he hated the raven anymore, but he also didn’t feel so comfortable around him, afraid that the surfer would hurt him again and make Eren feel heartbroken again.

 

"Oi, Eren?"

 

The said boy turned his head to the other side of the couch and stared at the raven haired teen. They stared at each other for a good minute before the raven beckoned Eren to come nearer him. Eren reluctantly neared Levi, who still had his gaze on the boy, and looked downwards as his last act of defiance. He didn’t feel so comfortable when Levi had his gaze on him, it made Eren feel jittery inside and he felt bare before the raven’s eyes.

 

When Eren deemed he was near enough he sat still on the couch, now beside Levi who was displeased by the little distance they still had between them. Levi sighed and thought that finally when Eren was healthy they should have that talk. They yet had to clear their ‘argument’ if it could be called that. But Eren was making it hard by looking at anything else than him, Levi sighed again and thought:

 

‘If I sigh anymore than this my happiness will seriously be lost forever.’

 

**(A/N: There is a proverb or saying(?) that a little bit of happiness will escape every time one sighs)**

 

Levi had already had enough of Eren’s fidgeting and avoiding gaze, so he took hold of the boy’s chin and turned Eren’s startled face to look at  his own expressionless one. Their faces a mere inch from each other.

 

“We need to talk.”

 

_‘No shit??!!’_ Eren screamed in his mind as he was busily trying not to blush.

 

He averted his eyes from Levi’s face and tried to put more distance between their faces, but had a hard time doing it because of the raven’s steel grip.

 

Levi released his grip on the boy and braced himself.

 

“I’m sorry… as I said so was I riled, but the reasons behind that was…. that was because of the conversation Erwin and I had, obviously.” He paused and looked if Eren wanted to say something, but when he saw that Eren had pulled his legs up and put his head on his knees, arms protecting him from the raven’s eyes and hugged his legs closer, unnaturally calm but Levi could see the small tremors Eren’s body did, it tugged at his heart to see his precious boy shaking because of him but not in the good way. He continued still.

 

“Erwin said some things that concerned you… and because he hit the nail on the head it got me thinking of… various things that got me angrier and before I realized it  I snapped at Erwin and said things that I normally wouldn’t say.”

 

Levi watched Eren’s tremors be more apparent and he could not take it anymore. He carefully reached out to the boy, and easily put him on his lap in the same fetal position — only sideways so Eren’s side was against Levi’s chest — and wrapped his arms around the shaking brunet, who instantly started to shake more but didn’t try to fight him. Levi had his left cheek against the soft chestnut colored hair as he inhaled the boy’s scent.

 

“I wasn’t thinking when I said that I didn’t care for you and that I wouldn’t even befriend you if I hadn’t my reasons… That was all a lie.. I befriended you because I wanted to and I started to care for you because you are naturally an airhead and too innocent, I thought that you were too trusting. But when... when I hurt you I realized that I was wrong, you weren't naively trusting me, I know that now but then I didn't even notice it because of my ego. I am so sorry Eren..."

 

Levi whispered "sorry, I'm so sorry Eren" over and over again in Eren's ear.

 

When Levi had started talking Eren had started to remember all emotions he had lived through those two weeks. The feeling of loneliness, helplessness, the feeling of his heart being broken into small shards, betrayal and sadness. Before Eren realized it he had started shaking and it escalated just more, even when Levi had put him on his lap and wrapped his long and strong arms around him. It wasn’t until he heard Levi whisper his apology so many times that Eren remembered how to breath and could smell the raven’s scent, that was naturally a little musky and the scent of the ocean water, which must have started to linger on Levi’s body because being so much in the water and surfing, there also was a small amount cologne, but it was so little that it went well with Levi’s scents. Before he knew it Eren had started to calm down, the arms that made him tremble in fright made him feel safe again. Like before that incident happened, he felt safe in the arms of the man he loved. Eren’s eyes widened at that thought.

 

_‘I-I should have stopped loving him… but just now I thought that I loved him?! Does… that mean that I still love him? Even though he hurt me? Made me experience all those horrible feelings? But… he did take care of me this whole week when I was so sick that I almost couldn’t feed myself… Should I give him one more chance?’_

 

Eren’s inner monologue was cut when he felt Levi squeeze him tighter. He let go of his legs and gave one of Levi’s arms a light reassuring squeeze.

 

_‘I hope I won’t regret this… Well, here goes nothing!’_

 

“I forgive you.”

 

Levi’s head snapped up as soon as he heard those words, and stared uncharacteristically wide-eyed at Eren. He couldn’t believe that Eren would forgive him, not after that look of anger and betrayal.

 

“Why?” Levi found himself asking, because he was seriously wondering what kind of God made Eren forgive him.

 

“Because you took care of me and… some other reasons…” Eren said but nothing more, he couldn’t say to the raven that the other reason was because he still loved him. Not when the raven had a girlfriend. **(A/N: Eren doesn’t know that Levi and Petra broke up. He will find out eventually ;D)**

 

“But” Eren said in a strict tone, “If it ever happens again I will never forgive you again and beat the hell out of you.”

 

Levi thought it was out of character for Eren to curse but when he saw Eren’s blue-green eyes switch to golden he knew the brunet was serious. And he knew that he never again wanted that look of golden eyes filled with anger and hatred towards him again. Those eyes were cold and made him shudder.

 

“Got it. And if it ever happens again — which I highly doubt by the way — I will let you without restraint beat the crap out of me.”

 

Levi answered seriously as well.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Well it was good that Levi had answered him seriously as he himself had. But one thing did piss Eren off. And that was that the taller male still hadn’t let him go even though he had tried forcefully to make the raven let his grip on him go. It seemed like it only made the older of them’s grip tighter as he nuzzled his nose in Eren’s hair.

 

“Levi-san! Please let me go!”

 

Levi didn’t answer Eren but he lowered his face from the top of Eren’s head to his ear and nibbled at his earlobe. Eren felt the heat on his face when he felt Levi’s tongue lick his earlobe.

 

“L-Levi-san!! W-what are you doing?!” Eren shouted in an unnaturally high pitched voice as his ears burned. He shoved his hand between Levi’s face and his head so the raven couldn’t have access to his ears as he once again tried to forcefully make the older male let him go by wiggling like crazy.

 

Levi peeked out between Eren’s fingers which were spread all over his face. Smirking under the palm of the boy Levi let one of his ensnare Eren tighter and grabbed the wrist that was near his face. He opened his lips and licked the inside of the palm, making Eren flinch back but couldn’t do it because of the raven’s tight grip. He licked a strip from Eren’s palm to each finger and nibbled at them too as he watched Eren shut his eyes, his face crimson. Levi’s eyes were hooded as he watched the brunet squirm more in his lap, thinking that it was enough of teasing the brunet and get to the real reason of him being like this.

 

Eren had been surprised when Levi gripped his wrist and tightened one of his arms around him. And couldn’t take the sight of Levi’s hooded eyes on him as the raven licked the inside of his hand suggestively, the heat creeping up too fast and his heart almost beating out of his chest, he just had to shut his eyes. He couldn’t believe it.

 

Levi has a girlfriend hasn’t he? Why is he doing this to him? And more importantly, isn’t the raven straight?! Why is he doing this to him? To Eren. Who is a guy.

 

Eren’s attention was brought back by the change of positions. He felt the couch on his back, he opened his eyes, which widened in shock when he saw Levi hovering over him, their faces inches from each other, with an… unfamiliar expression on the raven’s face. Eren felt unnaturally vulnerable, he felt like the raven was stripping him off his clothes just by looking at him — which isn’t entirely far from the truth really, because it is Levi — and that the raven could see all of him. He uncertainly called the raven’s name.

 

“L-Levi… san…?”

 

Levi reacted to his name and lowered his body so it was laying down on Eren’s, between the younger boy’s legs but not putting on much of his weight on Eren’s petite body — compared to his yes.

 

“Naa, Eren…”

 

“Wh-what is it Levi-san?” Eren felt his blush spread to his ears and neck as he watched Levi.

 

“Do you think it is alright for me to woo you?” Levi asked, his voice husky and filled with lust.

 

Eren’s brain couldn’t first process the words Levi said and answered dumbly a ‘what’ before it sunk in. Eren pushed his upper body up making the raven — much to Levi’s chagrin — back away a little.

 

“W-w-ww-what?! B-but Levi-san! You have a girlfriend! You can’t woo me! You would be cheating on her!!”

 

“We broke up.”

 

Eren stopped his rambling on how two-timing was a bad thing and stared dumbfounded at Levi.

 

“You what?!” Eren screeched, too shocked to say anymore.

 

“We broke up. It was a mutual break-up. It was because I realized my real feelings.”

 

“Your real feelings?”

 

“Yeah, my feelings for Petra was like that of a sister in short that was why I couldn’t go out with her anymore. Not when I know who I really like.”

 

“Who you really like?”

 

Levi rolled his eyes. Not expecting Eren to be this dense, especially in this situation with him hovering over the brunet. And voiced out his thoughts to the boy.

 

“Are you really that fucking dense Eren?” He purred out as he made the merman lay back on the couch, this time using his weight to lock up all movements from the other.

 

When Eren didn’t answer Levi did the only thing he thought of making the brunet understand. He reached up to Eren’s face with his right hand and stroked the smooth skin gently and then traced those pink plump lips of his with his thumb as he lowered his face down.

 

Eren saw Levi’s face nearing him and had déja vú feeling that this has happened before. He felt thin but surprisingly soft lips touch his. His green-blue eyes widening when they met silver-blue eyes. Lost for words when Levi’s lips left his after a minute, did Eren realize that, yes Levi had kissed him and that he hadn’t breathed for the whole minute, making him gasp for air as he processed that Levi did indeed kiss him.

  
“I like you, you brat.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it =) until next time~!


	5. Chapter 4 — Just what is love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update.

**Chapter 4 : Just What Is Love?**

"I like you, you brat."

_'What? What did he say? Did... Levi-san just say that he likes me?'_

"What?" Eren answered dumbly.

"You heard me Eren~" Levi purred in Eren's ear. Sending shivers through the boy's body by using his first name.

"B-b-b-but y-you a-and P-P-Petra-san...!" Eren stuttered.

"Broke up, as I told you."

The raven said again and neared Eren's lips with his own. He gave a light peck on those soft, pink lips and continued to give small kissest to Eren's nose, cheeks, temples and forehead. He could feel how hot the boy’s face became because of his ministrations.

Eren tried weakly to push the bigger teen away, but his arms felt like goo and could only submit to the raven's kisses. He didn't like the way he let the older do what he wants, because just recently Levi had had a girlfriend and now he suddenly says he likes him?!

Tears started to spill from his caribbean eyes and down his cheeks. He felt both happy and sad that Levi liked him, but… he couldn’t accept the raven’s feelings when his heart was still in shards. He would surely unintentionally end up hurting his beloved human. He was still a bit broken.

Noticing the wet feeling on the boy’s face, Levi hastily put some distance between their faces, silver-blue eyes widening at the sight. Eren’s head was turned to the side, tears sliding down his tan cheeks and eyes glazed with nothing. There was nothing seen in the merman’s blue-green eyes, like his his physical body was there but not his soul, Levi felt his heart break at the sight and more so when he thought it was his fault that Eren looked like this.

Levi placed his large hand gently on his Eren’s left cheek and softly whispered and pleaded:

“Eren… please Eren, look at me… Please…”

Levi wiped the tears away with his thumb and placed his other hand on the boy’s right cheek and wiped the tears from that side too. He sat up on his knees and pulled the numb boy up with him. Eren still had that unseeing expression. Levi put him in a sitting position against the couch as he thought of something that could help him bring Eren back. He stood up from the couch and walked to the piano that was placed near the big windows in the living room. He opened the lid of the black grand piano and saw the white and black keys in front of him. Hoping that he still could somewhat play although it has been years since he last played the piano. He started on a ciss in the G-clef and an a in the bass clef. It was a sad but beautiful melody he had written after the accident ten years ago, when he had met Eren and lost his parents. His pale and long fingers glided gracefully over the keys, like he hadn’t stopped playing for years.

Eren heard a familiar tune that he had heard once before when he was seven and had sneaked away from Shiganshina and to the beach house where he knew Levi lived. It was then he had heard this familiar sad but beautiful melody, and for the second time he saw Levi cry. He too started crying and kept crying till the melody stopped and the raven walked out to the balcony that faced the sea. He dived into the sea once again before the older boy could see him. Eren could still see Levi, who was leaning forward onto the balcony fence, although it was a little blurry underwater, he could still detect the wetness that ran down the raven’s cheeks. That image never left his mind, even though many years had passed since then, he still remembers it clearly.

And it was that melody that brought him back to the world, where he could see Levi play it right before his eyes but with a small frown between his eyebrows.

_‘He must be holding back his tears.’_ Eren thought, and before he knew it he had walked behind the taller raven, and with a little hesitation, he wrapped his arms around the big and muscular frame and leaned his head on Levi’s shoulder.

When those thin arms wrapped around him and Levi felt that familiar heat, the tears he had tried holding back were flowing down his cheeks in a matter of seconds. But still, he continued playing, letting Eren’s warmth comfort him. He had hope that maybe, maybe someday Eren would love him back. He hardened his resolve, from now on he will do everything in his might to make Eren like him fair and square, he wouldn’t use dirty tricks, or well, maybe a little but nothing too extreme.

 

* * *

 

Waking up on Monday morning, Eren felt that familiar feeling of being wrapped up in muscled arms, wondering how it could feel so natural. Today was the day Eren would go back to school, but dreaded it little. One; because the last time he was in school he had fainted — but he was excused from P.E. today because of it — and his friends would surely be very flustered and worried today, surely asking if he was alright and if he felt ill and would want to rest. Sure, he liked his friends but they were… a little overbearing sometimes so it wasn’t even funny. And two; because he had to walk with Levi to school. The last time any of the pupils saw them together were either since their “fight” or when Levi had carried him to the nurse’s office.

Wiggling a little so the arms around him would loosen a bit, Eren sat up and stared at the male sleeping beside him. The usual frown that seemed permanent on the older male’s face was smoothed out.

‘He… seems peaceful...’ Eren thought as he unconsciously traced Levi’s features with his tan hand.

‘He also looks like his age for once.’

Eren let out a silent giggle at that thought. He thought it was cute how young Levi looked when sleeping. He withdrew his hand and tried to crawl over the bigger male to reach the edge of the bed and touch the floor.

But when his left hand was beside Levi’s head, the raven woke up and what greeted Levi’s eyes first was the chest of the young brunet. Levi had lent Eren a light blue tank top that was a little too big on the boy and was the cause of why Levi could see Eren’s naked chest — not that this was the first time he had seen it — and it startled the raven that he abruptly sat up and ending up with Eren lying on his lap, or more likely draped over his lap.

Eren had been taken by surprise when Levi suddenly sat up and couldn’t even let out a sound of surprise because of the abruptness. Now he was lying on the taller teen’s lap. Fortunately so was the comforter still between them, but Eren could still feel the older teen’s firm and hard muscles underneath. The young merman scrambled away from Levi’s lap as fast as he could, feeling the heat crawl up to his face, ears and neck. As soon as Eren was standing on the floor he placed his hands in front of his face, trying to cool himself down.

Levi stared at Eren's back, wanting the boy to look back at him. The tank top — that Eren was wearing — was cut low on the backside, giving Levi the wonderful view of the tan and lean back. Especially the wonderful red color that tinted the merman's ears and nape. Getting out of bed, Levi located the drawer where he had placed his and Eren’s school uniforms.

Eren could feel Levi’s eyes on him and how they raked over his backside. He tried to stop himself from blushing, but felt the heat that he had gotten familiar with since he met Levi (again), spread over his face, ears and even his nape. Rustling sheets could be heard from behind Eren as he searched for his school uniform. A throat cleared itself and Eren turned his head to the raven, who had now risen up from bed, and saw his school uniform on a hanger the raven was holding.

With a raised eyebrow Levi beckoned the boy to come to him, so the raven could help him put his uniform on — in a platonic way of course — so he himself could put his own uniform on and then make their breakfast.

 

* * *

 

The breakfast was surprisingly casual now when Eren wasn't sick anymore and could eat anything again. That was good because Levi had run out of recipes of what a sick person should eat. So it was a really simple American breakfast with eggs and bacon, some salad and small sandwiches.

The salad was simple green salad, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, feta cheese, and sesame seeds.

The sandwiches had the filling of one leaf green salad, ham, tomato slices and some cheese.

Eren complemented his cooking, and said that he could ask Hannes if Levi could help his uncle in the kitchen during the summer holidays and earn some extra money. Levi said that he himself must think about it first, one; because there are a lot of surfing competitions during the summer. But then he thought he could be with his cute, green mermaid prince, almost all day because Eren would surely help around in Hannes inn and restaurant as a cute waiter.

The waiter uniform that Hannes made all waiters and waitresses wear was simple long, black slacks — that defined Eren’s behind greatly — a simple half and black apron that covered the front of the slacks from getting dirty and that reached the knees, and a simple white button-up with a red and loose bow at the neck. (Of course Levi had seen Eren wearing that uniform and has had some *cough, cough* nice dreams afterwards.

Levi thought about all the pros and cons in that deal, but the greatest pro was that he could see Eren everyday, and the most unfortunate con was that he would be really busy and maybe won’t be able to court Eren after working hours — because Levi is too serious to half-ass a job so he won’t (or will try not to) flirt with Eren during working hours, especially since it’s Hannes' inn, the raven thought as he took in Eren's appearance.

The boy's hair was it usual messy locks of soft chestnut hair, his eyes casted downwards as he continued to eat, so Levi couldn't see the eyes he loves so much, he watched as the boy took a bit of bacon and opened his pink and plump lips. The raven licked his own lips as he saw Eren's fork slowly pull at the younger male's lower lip.

Improper thoughts filled the surfer's mind as he still watched the merman eat. About what all the kinds of things that the boy could use that mouth for. How good those lips would look when the merman's eyes looked up at him with tears in the eyes as his pink, plump lips were around the raven's di.... No! Nonono! He couldn't have such dirty thoughts this early in the morning and walk to school with a boner — especially with the caribbean eyed beauty beside him — Eren would be wary of him then.

As Levi was lost inside his internal dilemma, Eren had finished his breakfast and curiously sneaked glances at the raven haired male.

 

* * *

 

When Eren walked through the gate he was immediately hugged by his friends. Sasha and Connie cried that they were so worried because they couldn’t contact him for a whole week, Reiner and Bertholdt just hugged him and said it was great that he is better now and patted him on the head.

Noticing black hair behind his friends, Eren peaked over their shoulders to see Marco fidgeting behind them. The freckled boy didn’t seem to know how to approach the prince. Eren smiled at him and sneaked his way out from his fellow year mates and approached the freckled raven with a hug. Not noticing silver-blue eyes narrowing behind him.

"Good morning brother Marco!" Eren greeted cheerfully as he hugged the taller teen.

After a moment of surprise and a fast peak at another raven, Marco returned the hug.

"Good morning Eren."

The hug though didn’t last long, because a pale arm snuck around the prince’s waist and pulled him away from his brotherly friend. Eren found himself pressed against a muscled chest with his arms still in the air. Peeking at the owner of the arm around his waist, Eren wasn’t surprised to see it was Levi. The raven haired surfer glared at the junior, and if eyes could kill, Marco would had died many times.

_‘Possessive..’_ the freckled male thought as he put his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, which was needed otherwise Levi would have (maybe) punched him.

Eren on the other hand was embarrassed as hell. They weren’t a couple (yet) and Levi was already acting like a jealous boyfriend.

_‘The worst is that I kind of like it...’_ the green-blue eyed teen thought as he was further pressed into Levi, who used his body as a cover for Eren’s body.

Levi on the other hand was green of jealousy that Eren hugged Marco without hesitation at first sight. But he himself has to cry — he will never admit that he cried to anyone — to get Eren to hug him — even with a little hesitation on the younger male’s part.

Reiner, Sasha and Connie watched slack-jawed, and Bertholdt sweated profusely, as they watched their friend being embraced by the school’s hottest and most popular guy in such a protective manner. It almost seemed like they were a couple. But they weren't, not yet anyway.

* * *

 

The school bell echoed through the halls, signaling that the last class for the day was to begin. The students are hurrying to get to class before the teacher. Eren’s last class for the day was music class and everyone had to sing a piece in front of the class, no matter how tone-deaf one was. Luckily Eren had this class with Sasha and Connie, the clowns of his group, and didn’t have to sing in a classroom full of strangers.

The singing order was alphabetic, so those whose last name started with ‘A’ would begin first. It would take a while until it was Eren’s turn. Unluckily for Eren so was a junior in this class too, the one who had shouted ‘gay’ to Eren the first day of school, Jean Kirschtein. Who was obviously in love with his brother Marco, Eren added in his thoughts.

Soon it was Eren’s turn, after a girl whose surname was Ingman, he had already decided what to sing. It kind of matched his feeling for Levi, because he couldn’t stop loving him. When it was Eren’s turn, the boy took a deep breath and let it out. This would be the first time that he sings in front of the humans in the surface world.

What Eren didn’t know was that the music room had an inbuilt microphones that was connected to all speakers in the school. But Jean knew, and when Eren stepped on the small stage the junior — Jean — switched on the mic and at the same time all speakers. He was going to embarrass the brunet freshman who made fun of him the first day of school by making the boy sing before the whole school. He was sure that Eren had a horrible singing voice.

When Eren turned around and grabbed the mic that was given to him and the music started playing, he opened his mouth and let his voice flow through the room.

 

**_‘When listening to my heart, it’s bursts open and flies about, just what is this...?_ **   
**_When I touch my heart, I touch a small flame of burning passion. This is t_ _he first time I’ve had these feelings!'_ **

 

Everybody in the school stopped with what they were doing when they heard the speakers turn on, and listened to the playing music.

 

_**‘I won’t stop singing once I’ve begun! I won’t stop dancing once I’ve begun!** _   
_**I can’t go back! I can’t turn around! There’s no way I’d ever not need love!** _   
_**Swimming around in the coral in the blue sea, let me tell you of my secret - learning of love.** _   
_**I’m going to continue singing until the excitement of my heart reaches you.'** _

 

Jean’s mouth dropped to the floor when he heard the freshman’s voice, the teacher was also gaping (how had she missed such talent?!), Sasha and Connie stared at Eren mesmerized with awe in their eyes. The rest of the room was a mix between Springles and the teacher.

 

**_‘_ ** **_When I listen to my heart, I hear a whisper, just what is this...?_ **   
**_Do you know? I become drenched in my heart’s excitement all the way out to my long hair. Surely, you know these feelings._ **   
**_Just looking is boring. By just waiting, you won’t notice._ **   
**_You can’t move forward. You can’t say no. So let’s sleep together tonight.’_ **

 

Levi was having gym when the speakers turned on and the familiar singing voice flowed out from them. He was playing basket with the other seniors but soon enough ditched he the ball and was rushing out from the basket field. He was dashing through the halls to get to the music room. He almost collided with some people but he managed to continue staying on his feet. Levi continued listening to Eren’s voice as he reached his destination.

 

**_‘Let me tell you of my secret as my pearl sleeps in the deep sea and we dream._ **   
**_I will surely continue to love that person, until I can give all of my heart to him._ **   
**_I won’t stop running once I’ve begun. I won’t stop loving him. This is no lie._ **   
**_I won’t turn my eyes away. I won’t let go of you. Right now, I can’t be alone.’_ **

The raven opened the door to the music room as unnoticeable as possible and stepped inside. What he saw then was one of his most wonderful moments in his life — until now that is. There his merman prince was singing and dancing all happily as he had everyone looking at him awestruck.

 

**_‘Let me tell you of the secret of the mermaid who swims in the white waves who gave me love._ **   
**_I will surely continue to love that person, until the excitement of my heart reaches him._ **   
**_Let me tell you of the secret of the mermaid who swims in the white waves who gave me love._ **   
**_I’ll surely continue singing until these exciting feelings of mine reach you’_ **

 

When the music ended Eren stopped singing and for the first time he stepped on the small stage took a good look at his audience and saw Levi standing at the door, looking at him with passionate eyes. He was going to step off the stage and approach the senior but was surprised (and frightened) when he heard the thunderous applause and cheering through the whole school. He looked around him with a confused expression, wondering why the whole school was so cheerful. Before he could ask someone he was dragged off the stage and out of the room and then from school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is seriously late and one of my worst written chapters ever. I also apologizes for this late and short chapter. 
> 
> (Maybe I will rewrite it later)
> 
> It might take a while until the next one because:  
> 1) I still have one A-level test remaining  
> 2) A six week long prep school + entrance exams which means I will be living in another city for some time  
> 3) Graduation ceremony and party

**Author's Note:**

> The song is Legends of Mermaids. The english lyrics version.


End file.
